Life is Stranger
by Brenna's Urbangirl Projects
Summary: Max Caulfield can rewind time. After the destruction of her hometown, she and best friend/girlfriend Chloe Price learn that Max was adopted and that Max's parents parents were from San Francisco. They head to San Francisco to find Max's birth parents and to see if they know why Max has these powers to rewind time.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Max Caulfield can rewind time. After the destruction of her hometown, she and best friend/girlfriend Chloe Price learn that Max was adopted and that Max's parents parents were from San Francisco. They head to San Francisco to find Max's birth parents and to see if they know why Max has these powers to rewind time.

 **A/U:** Set post Episode 5 of the game Life is Strange and starting with Charmed Again of Charmed.

 **Disclaimer:** Charmed is owned by Warner Brothers (or is it CBS as they had planned to do a reboot). Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Square Enix and Dontnod own Life is Strange.

 **Author's Note:** Changes to the source material from the Life is Strange game will be seen in this story to mesh it with the Charmed and Buffy universes (I.E. the fact Max gets nosebleeds and migraines after rewinding time, which no one in Charmed has that kind of detrimental effect to their powers, that I can remember). Buffy Crossover is likely to be minor in this story, that said there is a possible spin-off story set in BTVS. It's why Buffy and Dawn are mentioned here. Can you imagine the changes to BTVS if Joyce had known from the start that the supernatural existed? What if David after leaving Arcadia Bay had become a cop instead of the security officer her was in the game, how would a cop affect Buffy's calling. That's why there is a possible spin-off here.

You do not have to need to have played the game, though it would be helpful. This chapter gives a small recap of a little bit of the game and what I added that gets them to San Francisco.

* * *

 **Prologue**

Max Caulfield looked at the Golden Gate Bridge as she proceeded to take a photo of the bridge. She glanced at her best friend Chloe Price as she thought back on the last couple of weeks since Max had gotten her power to rewind time and even jump through time through a picture.

First there had been Chloe. She had saved her friend's life over and over using her power. Then there had been her teacher Mark Jefferson who had kidnapped young girls and took sick and twisted photos of them drugged and bound. Then there had been the tornado. At the time Max had thought that the tornado had been her fault, that it had been created to even out the fact she continued to save Chloe time after time.

The last time she had used a picture to go back in time to save Chloe, had been the last time she had used her powers. She told Chloe everything that had happened and they had changed the course of several personal destinies as a result.

Chloe's mother Joyce, step-father David and sisters Buffy and Dawn had been the first personal destinies they had changed. In one possible timeline, Joyce, Buffy and Dawn had died during the tornado in an explosion at the art gallery that Joyce had worked at. After jumping through the picture back in time, Max and Chloe had warned Chloe's family about the tornado. It had taken time to prove to them it was true, but with the help of Max's rewind powers, they had managed it much the same way Max had proven to Chloe that she had these powers. Joyce, David, Buffy and Dawn had gotten a motel in a neighboring town with the intent that after the tornado they would return, clean out the remains of their home and leave Arcadia Bay for good.

The next thing they did was make sure Mark Jefferson landed in jail. After proving Max's rewind power to Chloe's family. They told David what had happened to Max in another timeline, where Max had been kidnapped and photographed against her will by Jefferson, and almost killed. David led local police to the secret dark room where Jefferson took his pictures and arrested him.

Finally they warned their friends. Some of course did not believe them about the tornado, but did agree to stay at Blackwell Academy, the school they and Max attended as it was far enough inland that it would not be devastated by the tornado as those buildings closer to the Oregon coastline.

After the tornado had destroyed the town Max and Chloe had checked in on their friends and of course Chloe's family. Chloe's family had survived of course, thanks to Max's warning. Max's fellow students at Blackwell Academy had survived as well, including Max's closest friends Kate and Ashley.

During the week after the tornado, Max and Chloe had left town and headed for Seattle, where Max's parents now lived. Vanessa and Ryan Caulfield had been grateful that their daughter had survived. When Max showed them proof of her rewind power and explained everything that happened. They revealed a truth, Max was adopted. Max was curious about her powers and told her parents she wanted to find her birth parents and see if they knew anything about these powers.

Vanessa and Ryan agreed and gave Max her original birth certificate which labeled Max's parents as Prue Halliwell and Andy Trudeau.

Now as Max took the photo of the bridge, she wondered if it had been her destiny all along to come to San Francisco? She remembered in one alternate timeline she had come to San Francisco when she had won a photo contest. If not for rewinding time to save Chloe, she wondered if she would have met her birth parents then?

"This is hella insane, you know?" Chloe said as she looked at Max.

"I know," Max said. "But if they know where my powers came from. I have to find them."


	2. Chapter 1: Charmed Part 1

**Chapter 1: Charmed Part 1  
**

Max sighed as she sat in front of the computer at a San Francisco library. She had been spending the past hour looking for anything on a Prue Halliwell or Andy Trudeau. She had quickly found an obituary for Andy Trudeau dated two years before. She glanced around and found Chloe sitting at a table perusing local newspapers and magazines.

"Look at this," Chloe said as she walked over and laid out a magazine in front of Max.

Max looked at the magazine or rather a picture that Chloe was pointing to. It was a picture of a photographer by the name of Finley Beck. "That's Finley Beck," she said excitedly. "He's a professional photographer. Of course not the big of a name though. Not like Jefferson was before coming to Blackwell."

"Do we really need to mention that …" Chloe started to say.

"No," Max said with a sigh. She could understand the animosity Chloe had for Mark Jefferson. After all her former teacher had killed Chloe in an alternate timeline, kidnapped herself and after Nathan Prescott had killed Chloe's friend, Rachel Amber, Jefferson had helped Nathan to dispose of Rachel's body.

She looked down at the picture again and saw what had gotten Chloe so excited; the name on the byline under the picture was that of Prue Halliwell. Max closed the magazine and checked the date on the cover, the magazine was dated over a year before. "Well," she said, "at least we know a Prue Halliwell lives in San Francisco."

It was just then that a wind blew through the library and newspaper article fluttered onto the desk in front of them.

"What is this?" Chloe asked as she picked up the article. "It's an obit." She looked at it and her eyes widened. "It's for … Prue Halliwell."

Max grabbed the article from Chloe and read it over.

PRUE HALLIWELL … Funeral Services will be held today at Memorial Cemetery, 11:00AM.

Max glanced at Chloe. "Where did this come from?" she asked.

Chloe shrugged as she glanced around. Other than the wind they had both felt, no one and nothing was near them. "I don't know. With your powers, you know that at this point just about anything is possible."

Max nodded. "Yeah. I hate feeling like a gate crasher. But let's go to the funeral. Maybe I can meet the family. Find out if this Prue had any children?"

"Hella good idea," Chloe agreed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Chloe and Max sat at the back of a mausoleum. The cemetery had not been too hard to find luckily. As they looked around at the mourners they saw several people walked toward the front toward the ivory-colored coffin that sat on a pedestal amongst some flowers.

"That which belongs to fellowship and love," a woman, who was dressed in ivory colored robes, said. Chloe and Max assumed she was the minister. "That which belongs to the circle, remains with us. The wheel turns. As life is a day, so our sister has passed into night. Nothing is final, and we who remain behind know that one day, we will once again share the bread and wine with our sister. O' blessed spirit, we bid you farewell, for you await a new destiny."

The woman untied a silver cord and lay it into a chalice before blowing out three candles.

At this moment everyone stands and begins to wish their condolences to both the family and each other.

"Go on ahead," Chloe said. "I will wait for you over there." She motioned to one side of the mausoleum.

"You sure?" Max asked.

Chloe nodded as she placed a comforting hand on Max's shoulder. "I'm sure, Super Max."

Max nodded as she moved over and stood in the line of mourners that were giving their condolences to the family. When Max reached the front of the line she stood next to a woman and who was apparently her husband.

"Hi," the woman said.

"Hi," Max replied. "My condolences."

"Thank you," the woman replied. "My name is Piper and this is my husband Leo," she pointed to Leo and then the woman next to her, "and my sister Phoebe."

"The name is Max, never Maxine," Max said which despite the fact they were at a funeral got a laugh from Leo. She motioned over to Chloe. "The girl with the blue hair and the beanie, is my girlfriend, Chloe."

"Did you know Prue?" Leo asked.

Max noticed that the woman Piper had said was Phoebe was talking to another mourner.

"No," Max said. "This is the wrong place I know for this. But I'm wondering if I could come by later and talk to you guys in private? I'm trying to chase down my birth parents, according to my birth certificate my mother's name was, Prue Halliwell."

Piper and Leo looked at each other and then at Max.

"You are right," Leo said. "This is the wrong place for this." He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down an address. "We're having a wake for Prue. Come here and you and I can talk in private while Piper and Phoebe grieve with their friends."

"Sure," Max said as she took the paper. She turned and began to walk toward Chloe when she heard Piper and Leo say, "Phoebe."

Max glanced at Piper, Phoebe and Leo and noticed that Phoebe had stumbled backward into another man's arms. She assumed he was Phoebe's boyfriend.

"Are you all right?" Piper asked Phoebe.

"I saw him... the demon that killed Prue," Phoebe said.

"Demon?" Max whispered to herself. If this was her family, were they crazy?

"Ready to go?" Chloe asked when Max reached her. She and Max noticed they and the family were the only ones left in the mausoleum.

Then suddenly a man materialized out of the nowhere and lightning sprang from his fingers toward Phoebe's boyfriend.

"Go. Go," Leo said as he pulled Piper behind a pillar for safety.

The boyfriend threw what appeared to be some kind of energy ball killing the man. A second man appeared. Before he can attack the boyfriend, though, Phoebe ran up and knocked him to the ground with an martial arts move, before hiding behind a statue.

"Stop it," Piper yelled as the man spun to fire at Phoebe. He missed and the lightning hit Chloe instead.

"No!" Max yelled as she reached out her hand and time came to a halt.

"What the!" Piper and Phoebe said as they looked at Max. They looked around and saw how everything was frozen.

"She's a …?" Phoebe started to say.

Max focused her power and rewound time. When time resumed she knocked Chloe out of the way of the lightning just as the boyfriend fired another energy ball killing the man that had killed Chloe before Max had used her power.

Max looked toward Piper and Phoebe and instantly saw they had no memory of her use of her power.

"Did you?" Chloe whispered as she made a motion of a clock going backward.

Max nodded.

Piper let out an irritated, angry yell as Max helped Chloe to her feet. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Damn it! This is Prue's funeral, for God's sake! Can't we at least bury her in peace?! Is that too much to ask?!"

Max and Chloe rapidly made their way out of the mausoleum and quickly got in Chloe's truck and drove off.

"What was going on back there?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. I heard Phoebe, I think she and Piper are Prue's sisters, say demon. Then the first man appeared and started throwing lighting around to hit who might have been Phoebe's boyfriend? I don't know, he wasn't introduced. Just Leo, Piper's husband, Piper herself and Phoebe. Her boyfriend through some kind of energy ball at the man and killed him before the second man appeared."

"I know that much," Chloe said. "I was there. I mean what happened when you used your power."

"The second man was aiming for Phoebe, but somehow missed her and hit you instead. I used my power and in the seconds before I rewound time, while it was halted. Piper and Phoebe were not, halted in time. I think I may have been right. They know something about my powers."

"Wowser," Chloe said with a shake of her blue-haired head.

"I got an address from Leo," Max said. "It's where they are having Prue's wake. Leo invited me there to talk to him in private, while his wife and her sister were with the other mourners. I think that is our next stop."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max and Chloe sat in Chloe's truck watching the house that resided at the address for the wake. They assumed it was likely the family home.

"It does hella make sense they would hold it here," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Inside Phoebe slowly worked her way through the Mourners and over to Leo and Cole. "I don't see her anywhere," she said.

"Who?" Leo asked wondering if the young woman he and Piper had talked to was coming.

"The girl from my premonition," Phoebe said as a passing mourner looked at her as if she were crazy.

Leo pulled Phoebe to the stairs, where they could have some privacy. "Phoebe, you gotta be more careful."

"I'm sorry," Phoebe said.

"You sure don't recognize her from anywhere?" Cole asked.

Phoebe sighed. "Well, she did look familiar like I've seen her somewhere before. But somehow, we got to find her before nightfall, or else…" She slid a flower vase over an inch, then back again.

Cole gently grabbed Phoebe's arm with a concerned look. "Honey, what're you doing?"

"Uh, I'm cleaning."

Cole shook his head. "You don't clean. You hate cleaning."

"I know... but it's better than falling apart, isn't it?" Phoebe wondered.

"Maybe you should just try and focus on the girl," Leo suggested. "You said she was attacked on a rooftop?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah. One with a helipad… but it a tall building, although, there were a lot of taller ones around it."

"Okay, so we just need to figure out which building it was before Shax does," Leo said as Piper walked up to them.

"And do what exactly?" Piper said. "You can't defeat Shax, not without the Power of Three."

"But you and Prue did," Phoebe said.

Piper sighed. "That's because Prue was the strongest. Trying to do it without her would be suicide."

"Maybe so, but I got that premonition for a reason, Piper," Piper said. "That girl is our innocent, so we have to try and save her."

"Says who?" Piper asked. "Why do we have to?"

"Piper…" Leo said concerned for his wife.

"What? Do you really expect us to keep doing this stuff after what happened? To keep risking our lives? Do they?" Piper asked.

"Piper, keep your voice down…" he replied.

Piper frowned as she looked toward her husband. The grief over losing Prue evident on her face. "No, Leo, I won't. I don't want to do this anymore, okay? It-It's over! You can tell them that we buried their precious Charmed Ones when we buried our sister." She spun and stalked up the stairs.

"No, leave her be. She needs to be alone," Phoebe said spotting Max and Chloe by the door. "Besides it looks like your guest has arrived."

Leo looked toward the girls and walked over to them. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Max said as Chloe added, "Hey."

"Let's talk in here," Leo said as they moved into the living room. "Why do you believe you are Prue's daughter?"

Max sighed and handed Leo her birth certificate.

He looked it over and his eyes widened. The proof was staring him in the face as plain as day. Next to mother he read, Prue Halliwell and next to father he read, Andy Trudeau. He knew that Andy Trudeau had been Prue's boyfriend both in high school and shortly after Prue and her sisters had become witches. He tried to think back and remember when Prue might have been pregnant as he looked at the date of Max's birth on her birth certificate. After all he had been Prue, Piper and Phoebe's Whitelighter since they had been born.

"She ran away for six months," Leo said after a few moments of silence. "Her Grams, was worried as it was very unusual for Prue to run away like that. She was gone for a little over six months, which meant she would have been gone just before she started to show."

"So …?" Max said unsure of where actually she wanted to go with the question.

"It appears she definitely could have been your mother," Leo said.

"Wait," Chloe said. "How could you know she ran away?"

Leo realized his mistake. As the sister's Whitelighter he would have known. As Piper's husband he might not have. "I've known Prue, Phoebe and Piper since we all were kids," he lied.

"Oh," Chloe said as she glanced at Max.

Leo looked at Max for a long moment. If Max was Prue's daughter she had to have a power, right? Especially if Prue gave Max up without telling Grams to make sure Max's powers were bound. "I know this may sound strange," he said deciding to broach the subject. "Has anything unusual happened to you?"

Max glanced at Chloe and then back at Leo. "What do you mean?" she asked. She had only shown a handful of people her rewind ability. Namely her Chloe's family and her own as well as Warren and a few of her friends to make sure they escaped the tornado unscathed. Otherwise she tried to hide the knowledge she could rewind time.

"Maybe a power of some kind?" Leo asked.

"She's Super Max," Chloe said. "She has this power to be the most kickass best friend around."

"In what way?" Leo wondered.

"Well she saved my life," Chloe said remembering when Nathan had her at gunpoint. "From this guy who had a gun."

Leo nodded. "Maybe you saw what happened before hand?"

Max let out a sigh. "You could say something like that happened."

"You're a witch," Leo said with some understanding. It sounded to him like she might have Phoebe's premonition power. "You can see things before they happen."

"Not exactly," Max said and then she let out a sigh. She held out her hand in what had become a purely reflex gesture. In the last week she had gotten good at rewinding without the physical aid. She quickly rewound time.

"I know this may sound strange," Leo said as time started moving forward once again.

"But has anything strange happened to me?" Max asked with a smile. "Maybe like I have some kind of power?"

Leo looked at Max his eyes widening. "You have …"

"Premonitions," Max said. "Sorta. I did see the tornado that destroyed our home town five days before it happened. But that's not how I knew what you were going to say. I can freeze or slow down time and then rewind it, but only so far. I can if you had a photo taken of me, use it to jump back in time to when the photo was taken."

"You are a witch," Leo said as his eyes widened, "and Prue's daughter. You have an advanced form of Piper's freezing power in the form of halting time and you also have Phoebe's power. The vision of the tornado proves that you have premonitions. Tell me what all have you done with it, since discovering you had it."

"She saved my life several times," Chloe said. "Saved my family and some of her friends from the tornado that destroyed our hometown. She got this hella sick fuck put in jail too. He kidnapped girls our age and took sick pictures of them after dosing them."

"Dosing?" Leo asked.

"Drugs," Max said. "He would give them some drug to get them high enough for them to be compliant and semi-lucid. He had even kidnapped me at one point. If it hadn't been for Chloe's step-dad, he would have killed me by giving me an overdose."

Leo nodded as an idea struck him. If what Max was saying was true, she could be of some use in helping Phoebe. "Phoebe!" he called out.

Phoebe walked up to Leo, followed by Cole. "We were just about to head out," she said.

"This is Max," Leo said. "She's Prue's daughter. She is an extremely powerful witch, though new to the craft."

"Powerful how?" Phoebe asked.

"She can rewind time," Chloe said.

Phoebe's eyes went wide. "Really?" she asked as she looked at Max who nodded. She looked back toward her brother-in-law. "I see why you called me over. She could be of use, definitely."

"How?" Max asked.

"Simply put," Phoebe said. "If you can rewind time, you could save this girl's life I had a premonition of, by rewinding time before a demon attacks her and get me and Cole the time to save her." She held out her hand to Max. "Come on."

"Where she goes, I go," Chloe said. "Right, Maximilian?"

"Right, Chloe," Max agreed.

"We can't protect you," Cole said, "if we are fighting a demon."

"So? Max can rewind time, dude," Chloe said. "Besides, Max and I wouldn't be fighting the demon, right?"

"She does have a point," Leo said. "Till Max is taught what she needs to know. She can't be thrust into much."

"But her friend is mortal, Leo," Cole said.

"Cole's right," Phoebe said. "You shouldn't…"

"Shouldn't what?" Chloe asked. "Help? Wouldn't another pair of eyes be useful here? Besides I'm not just Max's best friend or even her girlfriend. But I'm her faithful companion. I'd die for her, and have actually several times."

"What?" Phoebe asked as she looked at Leo.

"Apparently, Max saved Chloe's life on several occasions," Leo said.

"That's personal gain," Phoebe said.

"I know, I intend to check with the Elders on it," Leo said. "Go ahead and take her. She is right on one thing, another set of eyes could be useful. Mind you I don't agree taking a mortal though. But from what I understand, she has been through enough to well …"

"Alright," Phoebe said. "Come on." She pulled Max and Chloe to their feet. "We'll have to hold hands. Cole has a way of teleporting from one place to another."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Phoebe stood next to Chloe and Max as she looked through a pair of binoculars out at the neighboring skyscrapers.

"Here," Cole said as he came up behind them and handed them each a cup of coffee."

"Oh, thanks. I think this is the right place," Phoebe said. "But maybe we should try one of the other rooftops just to make sure."

"Or maybe we should follow your first instincts and stay right here," Cole suggested.

"Okay. But, what if I'm wrong? That girl will get killed," Phoebe said.

Max smiled as she pulled out her camera. "That's why you brought me, remember?" she said as she handed the instamatic camera to Chloe who took a picture of Max. As the picture popped out Chloe handed the camera back to her. "See I can not only rewind time, with the help of a picture I am in I can even jump backward in time to when the picture was taken. If this ends up being the wrong place. I can using this picture jump back and let you know."

"Leo was right," Cole said. "She is powerful. To my knowledge only Tempus had powers to manipulate time. I never heard of a witch actually being able to do it."

"She's not called Super Max for nothing," Chloe said with a smile. "Not that I am going to fight a demon, but how are you going to do this?"

"I hope that by saying the vanquishing spell, it wounds him enough that Cole can take him out," Phoebe said.

Chloe nodded as she took the binoculars that Phoebe had set down at looked at one of the other skyscrapers. "Hey, I see something."

Cole looked in the direction that Chloe was looking. "Yeah, it looks like your instincts were right," he said with a glance at Phoebe.

"Keep an eye on us," Phoebe said. "If at any moment it looks like we're in trouble."

"I rewind," Max said, "and warn you."

"What does this demon look like?" Chloe said.

"Before he materializes," Phoebe said, "he looks like a tornado, why?"

"He's there," Chloe said as she handed the binoculars to Max.

Phoebe took Cole's hand and he shimmered them out.

"Woah!" Max said as the girl Phoebe and Cole had gone to save was attacked and disappeared for a moment in bright white lights before reappearing. She turned and raced toward a door. "I have to rewind. The girl is heading inside. I have to tell Phoebe."

Chloe nodded. "Okay."

Max held out her hand as she rewound time. When time moved forward again Phoebe and Cole were standing beside her and Chloe once more. "He's going to attack and she will disappear and reappear in bright shining lights."

"You are sure?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, why?" Max said.

"We'll explain later," Cole said as he took Phoebe's hand.

"After she does that, she runs for the roof access door and inside," Max said.

Cole nodded as he shimmered out with Phoebe.

"You know this is still hella insane, right," Chloe said as they stared out the windows of the skyscraper.

"Yeah, I know Chloe," Max said with a sigh. "But so far everything has proven to the fact that I am their sister's daughter. That they like me have powers. If I want to find out where these powers came from I have to follow this to its conclusion. Who knows, Chloe, maybe this is the new start we both need? Besides didn't Joyce say that she and David were moving them, Buffy and Dawn to Los Angeles? This would be close enough to visit."

"You're right," Chloe said. "But I think we should still be a little wary."

"Maybe," Max said. "But Leo did seem to know about my power before I even mentioned being able to rewind time. So …"

"I hear what you are saying, Super Max," Chloe said as she embraced her friend.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Paige, the girl that Phoebe had wanted to save, ran for her life. She scampered down the stairs onto a catwalk where she abruptly stopped as she heard the ominous sound of a tornado approaching. She slowly turned to see the demon standing behind her. But before he could attack, Cole and Phoebe shimmered in.

Paige turned, just in time to see the tail end of the shimmer, shocked. "What the hell?" she asked.

"Get outta here! Hurry! Go! Go!" Phoebe yelled.

Cole fired of an energy ball at the demon, who seemed barely even fazed by it. He fired another one as Paige, freaked, took off running down the stairs. "Say the spell, damn it!"

"Evil wind that blows, that which forms below," Phoebe chanted. "No longer may you dwell. Death takes you with this spell."

The demon managed to get off a concussive blast at Cole, which knocked him over the stairway rail. He growned in agony as he turned back into a twister and streaked away.

Phoebe, panic-stricken, ran to the edge and watched as Cole plummeted five stories, but just before he hit the ground below he shimmered out and back in next to Phoebe.

"Cole," Phoebe said as she embraced him, "that was too close..."

"It's okay, I'm all right. I just don't know about your innocent," Cole said.


	3. Chapter 2: Charmed Part 2

**Author's Note:**

 _ **edboy4926**_ \- It might be an interesting twist. I could work it to where Chloe becomes a Slayer after Buffy's death in the Master's Cave. It would of course require replacing Kendra with Chloe, which would be easy to do since Kendra was seen in only four episodes of BTVS. And Chloe could be killed like Kendra calling Faith, before Max has a chance to rewind time, which of course she would do. I'd have to think long and hard about Chloe dying for Faith to be called as it would be tricky with Max's rewind power. Maybe the Slayer essence doesn't recognize time reversal?

 _ **Fanfictionfanatic2324**_ \- Other than in this story you are likely not going to see them again. Max's rewind powers, Max and Chloe are from the Life is Strange game. You can find it on Steam btw, where the first episode (it is a 5 part episodic game) is free. I have my doubts anyone else will do a crossover with Charmed or Buffy with Life is Strange, seeing how few crossovers there are to begin with for Life is Strange (there is 100 times more non-crossovers than crossovers). And while you idea of tying in Prince of Persia (which I have not played or seen the movie) is an interesting one, will not happen in this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Charmed Part 2  
**

Max and Chloe were back with Phoebe and Cole at what Phoebe called the Manor. They watched as Phoebe and Cole told Leo what had happened and what Max had seen.

"Are you sure she orbed? Are you sure that it wasn't something else?" Leo asked.

"Max, described it," Phoebe said. "Bright white, shiny thingies came, she disappeared and then she reappeared."

"That's what I saw," Max said with a sigh. She noticed Piper stood at the kitchen sink unmoving and wondered what was going through the woman's mind. She half expected when they had gotten back that Piper would ask her and Chloe to leave, but as of yet she hadn't.

"What else could it be?" Phoebe asked.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Leo said.

"Why not?" Chloe asked.

"Because she might be a Whitelighter," Leo said. "I didn't tell you guys the whole truth earlier about me and this is not the place to do it now." He looked back at Cole and Phoebe. "But why would Shax want to kill a Whitelighter?"

"Maybe he doesn't know she's a Whitelighter," Cole suggested.

"Right, the Source sends out his personal assassin, but doesn't know who he's after?" Leo said with a shake of his head.

Max looked over at Piper as she clattered pots that she was washing, noticeably.

"Is it possible that she didn't know that she was a Whitelighter?" Phoebe asked.

"No. Why?" Leo said.

"She looked surprised to me," Max said. "Like I did when I first found out I could rewind time."

"Well that doesn't make any sense either," Leo said.

"Okay, why don't you go up and ask the Elders what does make sense so we don't go risking our lives again?" Phoebe suggested. "And while you are up there?" She looked toward Max and Leo nodded in understanding.

"I'll be right back," Leo said with a glance toward Piper as he orbed out.

"He wasn't your childhood friend was he?" Max asked her eyes wide at the fact Leo had orbed.

"No," Phoebe said.

"Maybe I should, uh, go to the other side and see what I can find out," Cole said before Phoebe had a chance to explain to Max and Chloe what a Whitelighter was and who Leo was."

"No," Phoebe objected as she looked toward her boyfriend.

"I'll be careful. Nobody'll see me. Besides, it could be good to me to go back down, confused any bounty hunters that might be trying to track me. Don't worry. I won't disappear," Cole said as he kissed Phoebe on the cheek and then shimmered out.

"Hey, you okay?" Phoebe asked.

Piper nodded. "Yeah. Sure, why not? We could have another funeral tomorrow. I mean, all the dishes are out and we pretty much know who to invite," she said as she held a small white towel in her hand and faced Phoebe.

"Piper…" Phoebe said.

"Just tell me one thing. Are you insane or are you just plain stupid? We bury Prue this morning and you go off tonight and nearly join her. What the hell is the matter with you?" Piper asked.

"I was trying to save an innocent," Phoebe answered.

"No. You were trying to get yourself killed, which is what this family does best is get killed," Piper said as she threw the towel onto a counter in frustration and anger. "Isn't it obvious by now that our only destiny is to die? And you are making it way too easy for them, Phoebe. You are just walking right into it!"

Max glanced at Chloe who nodded. She held out her hand and rewound time.

"Yeah. Sure, why not? We could …" Piper said.

"I know you don't know me, and kind of have only my word and very little proof I might be your sister's daughter," Max said as she stood up. "But I know what it's like to lose someone. My parents and I moved to Seattle from Arcadia Bay five years. I only recently returned to my hometown a few weeks ago on a scholarship to attend Blackwell Academy. The first time I saw Chloe after arriving at Blackwell; she was shot and killed right in front of me. Of course at the time I didn't know Chloe was Chloe, as I didn't recognize my best friend. She had changed, she hasn't always had blue hair, or a short haircut/ Anyways in the heat of that moment, I found out I had this power. I rewound time, saved her. Got her back. I would do that several more times over the course of the following week. The final time I watched my former teacher who kidnapped and drugged me; kill Chloe at point black range. It was a whole day before I could go back and by that time I could not rewind far enough. I had to use a picture my friend Warren had taken with my camera the night before and jump backwards in time to that point so that I could save Chloe. But for that day, I missed her so much. It was when I first realized I had fallen for my best friend hard."

Phoebe and Piper looked at each other and then at Max. Neither of them interrupting what she was saying as they were beginning to realize that Max seemed to be very much like Prue.

"If I could I would jump back through a photo for your sister, make a long distance phone call and it turn out alright, I would. But those kinds of changes can be lead to bad results. Using a photo I jumped back in time to when Chloe's father, her birth father, was still alive. I saved him from getting in a car accident. But there was a consequence, Chloe got into a car accident two years later. She was slowly dying and wheelchair bound. Her lungs were failing, she begged me to end her life, and I did. For her, I didn't want her to die in pain, not that way. My point is, not all changes will be alright. I can make small changes, such as saving Chloe. But big ones, it is better not to mess with. I know this does not help you with your grief. But I hope it does give you something to think about."

Piper nodded slowly as she left the room.

"Thank you," Phoebe said.

"So what is Leo?" Max asked.

"He's a Whitelighter," Phoebe said. "Think of him as a guardian angel for witches. No he wasn't our childhood friend; he's been our Whitelighter since Prue, Piper and I were born. He himself died during World War II while saving people. Being made a Whitelighter was his reward for that."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max and Chloe sat on a couch as they gave Phoebe some privacy.

"Here, this should help. It's chamomile. I had three cups," Piper said as she handed Phoebe a cup of tea before handing one to Chloe and Max as well.

"Thanks," Phoebe said as she took a sip. "Doesn't seem real, does it?"

Piper shook her head. "No. What are we gonna do with all of her stuff? What are we going to do with her car?"

Phoebe looked toward Max. "If Max does turn out to be Prue's daughter like we already surmise she might be. I think we should give it all to her."

Piper looked to Max and nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. It will help you to connect with her somewhat. In fact while you're in San Francisco, you both can stay in her room."

Just at that moment Leo orbed in.

"Well?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, they don't know anything about her, so she's definitely not a white-lighter," Leo answered.

"Then why can she do what you do?" Max asked.

"They can't explain it," Leo said. "But they do know about you, Max."

"And?" Piper said.

"She's Prue's daughter. Even Prue confirmed it via Grams. Since I'm your husband, even I'm not allowed to see Prue, yet," Leo said. "But while up there, I did talk to Grams. She told me that about a year before Grams died, Prue had finally confided in her about the six months she was gone."

"What did they say about Max's personal gain use?" Phoebe asked.

"It wasn't personal gain as far as they were concerned," Leo said. "Everything that happened in Arcadia Bay was meant to happen the way it happened. It seems Chloe's family, mainly the oldest of her two younger sisters has a destiny here in California and it was Max's use of her powers that insured the family moved from Oregon to California. Without that use they would have remained in Arcadia Bay and she would never have known of her destiny."

Just at that moment Cole shimmered in. "Whew. Sorry I took so long," he said. "I had to dodge a couple of bounty hunters."

"Did you find anything out?" Leo asked.

"You have no idea what I found out. Turns out the Source doesn't think she's a Whitelighter at all," Cole said as he sat on the arm of the couch next to Max. "In fact, he thinks she might be another… Charmed One. That's why he put Shax on it. He thought he ended the Power of Three. Now he's worried that this girl may somehow reconstitute it."

"No, but that's not possible. Is that possible?" Phoebe asked as Leo shrugged. They watched as Piper quickly stood and headed for the stairs. "Piper?"

"Piper?" Cole echoed as they followed Piper up the stairs and to the attic.

"What's going on?" Phoebe wondered as Piper moved over to the Book of Shadows.

"I'm going to ask Grams what's going on, actually," Piper said.

"How?" Chloe asked as Max shrugged. "Isn't their Grams, dead?"

"Grams?" Phoebe asked confused.

Piper nodded. "Mm-hmm. Your destiny still awaits, she says. There's a reason for everything, she says. So, it's time to summon her transparent butt back here and find out exactly what that reason is."

"Okay, but what should…" Phoebe started to say but was interrupted as Piper began to chant, ""Here these words. Hear my cry spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee. Cross now the Great Divide!"

Piper lets out a semi-satisfied sigh as Grams appeared in a bright light.

"Piper?" Grams said started to find herself in the attic. "Why are you calling? P—Phoebe, wha—what's going on?"

"Is this their Grams?" Max whispered to Leo who nodded. "And she's dead?" Again he nodded.

"The spell Piper cast, can call a spirit," Leo whispered back.

"Grams, why does the Source think that the Charmed Ones can be reconstituted?" Piper asked.

"I do—I don't know what you're talking about," Grams lied.

Piper sighed. "You know what, Grams? You were a lousy liar when you were alive, and now as a ghost, you're worse."

"If you know something, Grams, you have to tell us. We deserve to know," Phoebe said. "Especially with Max being here. Is there something she can fix with her power?"

"It has nothing to do with her power," Grams said. "And I can't tell you, I'm sworn to secrecy."

"By who?" Phoebe asked.

"By me," came a disembodied voice. A woman appeared next to Grams. "By me."

"Mom?" Piper said.

"She's my grandmother, right?" Max asked.

"Yes, Max," the woman said. "I'm your grandmother, my name is Patty." She looked to Piper and Phoebe. "We didn't tell anybody because we were afraid that there would be reprisals, afraid that, you girls would be dined your powers. Your birthright. It happened after your father and I were divorced, when Sam and I were together."

"Sam?" Chloe, Max and Cole said at the same time.

"Her Whitelighter," Leo answered.

"Hmm," Cole said. "Apples don't fall far from the forbidden tree, I see."

"Shh!" Piper said. "Go on, mom."

"You and Phoebe were both toddlers," Patty explained. "You just thought Mommy got a little fat." She smiled. "You never knew I was pregnant."

"I was the only one who knew," Grams explained.

"And Sam, obviously," Patty added.

"Right. Well, yes, of course," Grams said acknowledging that Patty was correct.

"We wanted to keep the baby, of course. But mother –" Patty said.

"Well, I—I knew it would be disastrous," Grams interrupted. "You know, before you and Leo, Piper, it wasn't just forbidden. It was unthinkable for witches to be with Whitelighters. I mean, let alone have children with them."

"So, that's why we had to—why we decided … to give the baby up," Patty said. "Much for the same reasons Prue and Andy gave you up, Max."

"Prue was afraid I wouldn't let her keep you, Max," Grams said.

"Anyways Sam and I took our baby to a local church as soon as she was born. And we asked the nun there to find a home for her, and she found one. A very, very good home," Patty said.

Grams nodded in agreement. "Yes."

"Explains why the Elders didn't know about her," Leo said as he looked at Piper and Phoebe.

"That doesn't make sense why they knew about Max but not this supposed sister," Piper objected.

"Her power is what kept Max on their radar," Leo said.

"All right, hold it," Phoebe said looking at her mom. "Wait just one minute. Are you telling me, that that girl, our innocent, is really … our sister?"

Patty nodded. "Your baby sister."

"Their baby half-sister," Grams corrected.

"But by my half, which makes her a sister witch," Patty said. "Well, actually, not yet anyway. Not until all three of you are here together by the Book. Just like before."

"Charmed. Again," Grams added.

"And I thought my family was screwed up," Cole said.

"I was beginning to think the same thing," Max said with a sigh as Piper gave her a look. "Sorry ... I guess, Aunt Piper?"

"You're forgiven," Piper said.

Just at that moment two men walked into the attic.

"Well, I'll be damned," one of the men said.

"Darryl, do something!" Piper said as she looked at the second man, an African-American.

"He's a cop, Piper," Darryl said. "And he's got a search warrant."

"Inspector Cortez," Phoebe whispered to Piper, Max and Chloe, who had not been part of her earlier confrontation with Cortez.

"And believe me, I've found what I've been searching for," Cortez said Max began to raise her hand in preparation to rewind time. He turned his gun on her. "Ah-ah-ah-ah. Don't move. I'll shoot."

"Max, don't," Chloe whispered, "please."

"Okay Inspector, just put the gun down," Phoebe said. "There is a very good explanation for all of this. Feel free to chime in anytime, guys."

"My whole life, I suspected evil magic was real, that there was something more," Cortez said. "I've seem too many horrible things in the job to suspect otherwise, not the least of which are the two murders that happened here."

"Wait. Are you accusing us?" Piper asked.

Cortez smirked. "I've just begun to accuse you, lady!"

"All right, fine. You caught us. Congratulations. So what are you gonna do about it? Shoot us?" Grams said.

"Easy, Grams. Not all of us are dead, remember?" Phoebe said. She waved her hand at Max telling her not use her rewind power, just yet.

Max nodded as she lowered her hand.

"All right, look, you can't arrest us, especially not them. Nobody will ever believe you," Leo said.

"Maybe not at first," Cortez argued. "I'm putting this whole place under constant surveillance. I'm taping your every move. Sooner or later, I'll catch you doing something uh, supernatural, and then…"

Darryl quickly and quietly knocked Cortez out cold with the butt of his gun. "I think you've been through enough today, huh?"

"Thank you," Piper said.

"Darryl, go, get out of here. We don't want you to take the fall for this," Phoebe said.

Darryl shook his head. "No, it's okay."

"No, it's not. This is our problem. He wants to expose us, not you. Let us take care of this, please?" Phoebe insisted.

Darryl sighed. "If you need me, you know where to find me, huh?" he said as he turned and walked out of the attic.

"What are you going to do about him?" Chloe wondered. "When he comes too … And since you wouldn't let Max use her rewind …"

"Even if Max rewound time," Piper said. "We would have very little time to change things before they showed up."

"Piper is correct," Grams agreed. "Patty and I could go back up there. But that would have still left you all under surveillance."

"Time though is what you have at least bought yourself," Cole said. "Because he is gonna wake up eventually."

"Time what you're gonna need, especially if you're wanna save your…" Leo said.

"Sister?" Phoebe finished for her brother-in-law.

"Aunt?" Max added as Phoebe nodded.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Just write a spell. Get rid of him," Grams suggested.

"Uh, get rid of him?" Phoebe asked slightly confused at what Grams was suggesting.

"Well, you know what I mean," Grams said. "Dump him somewhere. Anywhere. With all the witches in this room, we oughta be able to do something with him. I mean, just start rhyming. Uh, take him back, take him away. Remove him now. Don't let him stay." She gestured to Phoebe.

"Oh. Uh," Phoebe said getting the idea. "We call the spirits to help undo and send him off to… Timbuktu." Cortez vanished from where he lay crumpled on the floor. "Whoa. It worked."

"Timbuktu? You sent him to Timbuktu?" Piper asked shocked Phoebe sent him to Timbuktu.

"All right, well, it was the only thing I could think of that rhymed with undo," Phoebe said.

"I can fix it," Max said as she held out her hand and rewound time. When time moved forward once more Cortez was once again crumpled on the floor. She quickly put her hand over Phoebe's mouth. "The only thing you can think of to rhyme with undo was Timbuktu?" She looked at Cole. "Could you take him somewhere?"

"Yeah," Cole said as he knelt down next to Cortez and shimmered out with the Inspector.

"Okay, well this is way too much for me to handle. Way too much," Piper said.

"Nobody can blame you for being angry, sweetie," Patty said.

"Angry?" Piper said angrily. "Yeah, I'm angry. Um, I'm confused and you know what? This—this is just crazy. You cannot float in here after all these years and go, 'Oh gosh, I forgot, by the way, you've got a sister.' Especially not today after learning that Prue hid the fact she herself had been pregnant and we had a niece all this time that we didn't know about."

"I know it's a lot, sweetie. More than anybody should have to deal with, but you're going to have to deal with it the best way you know how," Patty said. "Losing Prue, learning about Max, learning about another sister ... this is your path. This is your destiny. Get angry at it, cry about it, but don't fight it. Or it'll consume you."

"Come on, Patty. The rest is up to them," Grams said as she and Patty disappeared.

"I can't sense where she is because she's technically not a witch yet," Leo said as they headed downstairs.

"All right, so all we have to go on is that church that Mom mentioned and the nun," Phoebe said.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight. I am only doing this to save her. I'm not remotely interested in reconstituting...The Charmed Ones," Piper said as they reached the bottom of the stairs to find Paige waiting for them.

"I, the door was open," Paige said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here.

"No, no, no," Phoebe said as she moved to stop Paige from leaving. "No, no. We were just coming to look for you."

"You were?" Paige asked confused.

Phoebe nodded. "Yep. Come on in. Welcome. I'm Phoebe. This is Max and her girlfriend, Chloe. And this is..."

"Piper," Paige said. "I know. I've been to your club. Pretty great."

Piper smiled. "Thank you. And you are?"

"Paige. My name is Paige," Paige said.

Phoebe glanced at Max and wondered slightly if Prue had followed the family tradition of names that start with P. She would have to ask Max to see her birth certificate later. She turned her attention to Piper. "Hmm. Another P. Imagine that."

"It's nice to meet you," Piper said as she shook Paige's hand.

"What is that?" Chloe asked as a blue light shone above Piper, Phoebe and Paige.

"I think that means Paige is supposed to be here," Leo said as the front door slammed open and a strong wind knocked them off their feet.

Max instantly recognized the demon from the roof as it materialized. She reached out her hand and rewound time.

"I think that means Paige …" Leo started to say as time started moving forward again.

"Move!" Max said as she shoved Piper, Phoebe, Chloe and Paige toward the stairs. "Incoming!"

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other. They didn't need any encouragement. They had seen enough of Max's power that day to know something had happened if Max had just rewound time. They dragged Paige up the stairs as Max and Chloe followed.

"What are we doing?" Paige asked.

"We'll explain later," Phoebe said.

"Okay, just say this spell out loud with us, okay?" Piper said as she flipped to a page on the demon in the Book of Shadows. "It was the one you saw on the roof earlier?"

"The one that you guys said was Shax," Max said.

"Spells, what are you guys, witches?" Paige asked.

Phoebe nodded. "And so are you. We hope."

"Well, we're about to find out," Piper said as Shax materializes from out of the tornado in front of them.

"Evil wind that blows," Piper, Phoebe and Paige chanted together, "that which forms below. No longer may you dwell. Death takes you with this spell."

Shax moaned in pain as he exploded.

"It's not enough," Phoebe said. "Shax was just the messenger. We gotta get the Source."

"The Source of what?" Paige and Chloe asked.

"Of all evil," Piper answered.

"What have you guys turned me into?" Paige asked as she turned and ran out of the attic.

"Paige?" Piper called after Paige.

"Wait," Phoebe added.


	4. Chapter 3: Charmed Part 3

**Author's Note:** To everyone who has reviewed liking or loving the story, thanks. That thanks as always also goes out to all the followers and favoriters as well even if you don't review. Even my muse at the moment loves this story. Of course it doesn't hurt that Life is Strange is an addictive game to begin with. I've played it all the way through 3 times now in the last month since I originally bought it. **  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Charmed Part 3  
**

Max watched as Piper retrieved an ice pack from the freezer. She wondered how Leo had managed to get hurt when the demon had attacked. She assumed he had done something to turn even temporarily the demon's attention away from them.

"I don't understand how you can keep healing innocents," Piper said as she placed the ice pack against Leo's neck, "but you can't figure out a way to heal yourself."

"It's kind of hard to heal myself when I'm knocked out," Leo said as Phoebe and Chloe entered the kitchen.

Max smiled at Chloe who decided the best place for her to sit was in Max's lap.

"We have enough chairs," Piper said.

"I know," Chloe said with a mischievous smile.

"Chloe likes being a tease, you should have seen our first kiss," Max said. "She dared me to kiss her, not thinking I actually would."

"So," Phoebe said, "Leo, how is it possible for an angel to even get knocked out? I mean, you are, after all, technically dead."

"Three years together and now you're asking these questions?" Leo asked surprised at the question.

"Well…" Phoebe said with a shrug.

"I think the more appropriate question is, how does a Whitelighter get somebody knocked up?" Piper said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked.

Chloe laughed. "I'm gay and I even get what she is asking. How did Patty get pregnant with a baby no one knew about? Remember they knew about Max."

"I don't know," Leo said. "Maybe Patty cast a spell to hide her from them. I and they don't know."

"I still can't believe that Mom kept that secret from us," Piper said.

"Is that any different than Prue keeping me a secret?" Max asked.

"No," Piper said.

"It sounded like both mom and Prue didn't have much of a choice," Phoebe said.

"I can understand Prue," Piper said. "She was afraid that Grams would take Max away. Still that doesn't condone what happened. And about mom, we're her daughters. She could've found a way to share that information with us." Just at that moment the doorbell rang. "No offense, Max, but that better not be another long-lost relative." She, followed by Max, Chloe, Piper and Leo went to the door.

As Piper opened it, they found Darryl standing on the front porch. "Hi Piper," he said as he walked through the door.

"Hi there," Piper said as she closed the door.

"Where's Cortez?" Darryl asked.

"The one you hit over the head?" Chloe asked as Darryl nodded.

"He's missing. Police inspectors are not supposed to be missing. Where is he?" Darryl said.

"Well Aunt Phoebe," Max said as Darryl looked at her. "Long story. Anyways Aunt Phoebe was going to send him to Timbuktu but I managed to get Cole to take him somewhere where he could cool off instead."

"Cole?" Darryl said as Cole shimmered in.

"Cole!" Phoebe said excitedly.

"Wait," Cole said as an energy ball formed in his hand as a man appeared. A bolt of blue lightning missed Cole just barely as he fired off the energy ball killing the man. "Damn bounty hunters… they're like gnats."

"That was a bounty hunter?" Max asked. "Why are they …"

"Later," Phoebe said interrupting Max.

"Where's the inspector?" Darryl asked again.

"Don't worry," Cole said, "I put him to a place he can't tell a soul what he saw. Literally."

"What do you mean? Where'd you put him?" Leo asked as Cole gestured below him.

"In the basement?" Chloe asked.

Piper shook her head. "No. I think he means a little bit further down than that."

"Oh," Chloe said confused. "Hunh?"

"Later," Piper said.

"Cole, he's a cop. He's one of the good guys," Leo said.

"He's also the one who can expose them as witches," Cole said. "I think that you, above anybody, would want to avoid that at all costs."

"Not at that cost. We have to save him," Leo objected.

"Save him? What do you mean, save him? Wh—what's going on?" Darryl asked concerned for Cortez.

"You know what, Darryl?" Phoebe said. "We are going to take care of this whole mess."

"Wait a second. Hold…" Darryl said.

"You don't worry about it," Phoebe said as she escorted Darryl out the door.

Piper looked at Leo. "Okay. Maybe you can talk to the Inspector, reason with him."

"And what if he can't?" Cole asked as Phoebe hugged him. "What if you two get exposed? What's to say the same thing won't happened to you that happened to Prue?"

"I don't know about what happened," Max said. "But remember my power. If its something as bad as you are suggesting. I can always just rewind or even jump back in time and keep him from entering the house."

"We can't ask you do that," Phoebe said. "Though we appreciate the offer." She looked at Cole. "We'll have to take that risk."

"Yeah well, you know what?" Cole said. "There's another risk you guys have to worry about. On the way back, I heard gargoyles."

"Gargoyles? You mean like statues?" Chloe asked. "I saw hella good ones on the way into town."

Cole nodded. "That's only in they're in their resting state. They come alive to ward off evil. In this case, I think they're trying to ward off the Source. I think he's surfaced."

"Wait—what? He's here? Now? Where?" Phoebe asked.

Cole shrugged. "I don't know. Could be anywhere. Or anyone."

"Probably came for Paige or Max," Leo said. "More likely Paige since she would reconstitute the power of three, but she doesn't stand a chance against him. She doesn't even know what her power is yet."

"Leo, we don't stand a chance against him," Phoebe said. "Not without Prue."

"But you might with Paige," Leo said, "the new Power of Three."

"Can you sense her?" Piper asked.

Leo shook his head. "I don't think so. She's too new," he said. He closed his eyes for a second wondering if he could sense Max and then shook his head. "I can't even sense Max yet, and she is standing right here."

"Well then we just have to start with the church Mom was talking about," Piper said.

"Piper…" Phoebe said.

"What? Phoebe, I'm not crazy about it, either, but we can't just do anything about it - now. Mom wouldn't want us to... and neither would Prue," Piper said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max sat on the bed she and Chloe had shared the night before as they watched Phoebe who held a leather jacket.

"I borrowed this," Phoebe said, "from your mom, Max, without asking. My boyfriend's cat peed on it. Oh. She got so mad, I thought she was gonna have a stroke. But the funny thing was, she got mad at Piper because she thought that Piper was the one that had borrowed it. And Piper never told her the truth. She never knew it was really me." She sat down on the bed next to Max. "I miss her so much, Max."

"Me, too," Piper said as Max, Phoebe and Chloe looked up at her. "I was wondering when you were gonna let go."

"I was just… I was trying to," Phoebe said as Chloe handed her a tissue. "Thanks. Stay strong, you know, keep it together for you and Max. Especially for you, Max. You had just found out about your mom, and you can't even get to know her." She looked at her older sister. "Then I put all my energy into trying to save … Paige because I figured only one of us could break down at a time. Otherwise, we'd both be useless, incase Max needed a shoulder to cry on. I'm scared, Piper. I'm really, really scared. She always took the lead. She was… she was our big sister. How are we supposed to go on without her? How are we supposed to take care of Max for her? How are we supposed to go up against the Source without her?"

Piper sighed. "I don't know. But I do know that we can't let the bastard get Paige, either so, no matter what we think or feel, she is our sister, just as Max here is our niece. And sisters, nieces, aunts," she looked at Chloe, "and even friends," Chloe smiled, "protect each other."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Paige entered a church passing a gargoyle statue. She made her way towards a nun. "Excuse me. Are you Sister Agnes?" she asked.

"Yes. And who might you be?" Sister Agnes answered.

"I'm Paige," Paige said introducing herself. "Paige Matthews." She saw no reaction to her name in the nun's eyes. "You might not remember me. I probably changed a little bit since you last saw me on August 2nd, 1977. Does that ring any bells?"

"Oh, dear Lord," Sister Agnes said. She motioned for Paige to follow her and made their way into the church office. She motioned toward a chair and Paige sat down. "I was just about your age, when they came." She moved over to a chest and pulled out a box, she set it on the desk between them.

"They? My mother and my father?" Paige asked.

Sister Agnes nodded. "They came in a swirl of bright white lights just like, angels."

"White lights," Paige said wondering what the nun meant. "What do you mean?"

"Well, that's how they appeared, with you in their arms!" Sister Agnes said. "I was stunned. I—I didn't know what to think. They said that you were in great danger, that they had no other choice but to give you up, to protect you."

"Danger?" Paige asked suddenly worried. "What kind of danger?"

"Well, they didn't say. But I could tell from their pain that it must be very real. They asked me to find you a good home, a safe home, and to keep their secret … until you came looking."

"But how could they know?" Paige wondered.

Sister Agnes smiled. "Because you come from them, my dear. As wonderful and precious as your adoptive parents were to you, you still come from angels." She reached into the chest and pulled out a blanket with a P on it. "They asked me to save this for you for this day. It's what they bundled you up in. Your mother had only one request—that your name began with a P." Just at that moment someone knocked on the door. She looked towards the people standing there. "Yes, may I help…"

"Hi," Piper said as she gestured with her hands and froze Sister Agnes.

"Wow," Max said, "Leo said part of my power was similar to yours."

Piper smiled at her niece and nodded. She looked towards Paige. "Hey, what's up? We need to get you out of here."

"What did you do to her?" Paige asked.

"Oh, she just froze her. She'll be fine," Phoebe said.

"Yeah. Lucky I didn't blow her up," Piper said. "My powers have been a little off lately."

Max noticed a blanket and nudged Chloe who followed her gaze. They had found a similar blanket in Prue's closet this morning as they were getting dressed.

"Piper," Phoebe said as she too noticed that blanket.

"Is that our blanket?" Piper asked as she tried to touch it.

"No!" Paige said as she pulled the blanket out of Piper's reach. "That's mine! Leave me alone!"

"Max?" Piper said as Max shook her head.

"I get you want to try and save her," Max said. "But you guys said what I did with Chloe, even though allowed by those Elders Leo told me about, was personal gain. I can't use my powers like that, right?"

"She's right, Piper," Phoebe said with a sigh. "We have to figure this out on our own."

"All right!" Piper said as they turned and followed Paige. "Gee."

"Paige. Paige. Paige," Phoebe said.

"Stop or I'll freeze!" Piper said as Paige stopped and turned to look at them.

"She's supposed to be a good witch," Chloe whispered to Max. "According to Leo, good witches aren't supposed to freeze, right? Only people like Leo, demons and mortals with no magical powers."

Max nodded. "Right," she whispered back. "The only reason you aren't frozen right now is because it seems Piper can select who and what to freeze."

"Will you please just leave me alone?" Paige asked as she returned to heading for the door.

"Look, we know what you're going through," Phoebe said. "We went through the same thing when we first found out we were witches, too."

"So did I," Max said. "I remember my first use of my power. It made me wonder if I was losing my mind till I replayed events and found out it was all real."

"Look," Piper said. "You just gotta trust us. Somebody very, very bad is after you.

"Trust you?" Paige asked as she turned around to look at them again. "You just froze a nun? How do I know you're not the bad ones?"

"Well if we are, then you are, sister," Piper said.

"Aunt Piper," Max said with a shake of her head.

Piper looked at her niece and sighed. She looked at Phoebe. "You try."

"You have a magical power, you know," Phoebe said. "Mmm. At least, if you're really a our sister, you do. And the sooner you learn it, the sooner you'll be able to protect yourself."

"I have a power?" Paige asked.

Piper nodded. "According to the prophecy, the third sister has the power to move things with her mind. Like Prue could."

"That would have been a wicked cool power," Chloe said as she looked at Max. "I wonder how you got the rewind power instead of that?"

Max shrugged.

"How does it work?" Paige asked.

"You concentrate on an object like that candle right there," Phoebe said as she pointed at a candle a few feet away. "And then you just wave your arm at it." She demonstrated what she meant and Paige mirrored the action, but nothing happened.

"Or, uh, you could squint your eyes. She used to squint her eyes," Piper said.

Paige waves her hand at the candle and squinted but still nothing happened to the candle. "Well, maybe I'm not one of you after all if I can't even make that candle…" she said as she gestured in the candle's direction.

The candle was surrounded by blue and white bright lights and disappeared and reappeared in Paige's outstretched hand. She handed the candle slowly to Phoebe.

"So perhaps the Whitelighter in her makes it work differently?" Phoebe suggested as she blew out the candle.

"Half-breed," Piper whispered mostly to herself.

Suddenly they heard screeching coming from outside.

"What is that?" Paige and Chloe asked.

"Don't know," Max said.

Suddenly the door opened and they saw a man outside sprawled out on the steps of the church. "Paige," he said.

"Shane?" Paige said as she rushed to help him up. "What's the matter? My god, what happened?"

"I don't know. Someone's after me," Shane said.

"Paige!" Phoebe said as she, Piper, Max and Chloe rushed after Paige.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Paige said.

"Paige! Come back!" Phoebe yelled as Shane looked back at them and a red bolt left his eyes hitting her and Piper sending them flying backwards.

Max reached out her hand and instantly rewound time. As time moved forward again she knocked Paige and Piper out of the way as the red bolt hit her instead and she went flying backwards into the alter.

"Max!" Chloe said as she, Piper and Phoebe turned and ran to Max.

"What the hell was that?" Piper asked.

"Good question," Max said with a sigh as Chloe helped her to her feet.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max and Chloe sat opposite Piper and Phoebe. They had returned to the Manor and filled Cole and Leo in on what had happened at the church.

"So the Source was there, at the church?" Leo asked.

"Well, the gargoyles weren't exactly whistling Dixie, Leo," Phoebe said.

"And if not for Max and her rewind power, something pretty powerful would have knocked us, instead of her, on our asses," Piper added.

"But if he was there, why didn't he try to kill Paige?" Cole wondered.

"Maybe he didn't want to go up against the Charmed Ones," Phoebe suggested. "Or maybe he didn't want to chance Max's rewind power?"

"No, that doesn't make sense," Cole said. "He knows that Paige is new to her powers. And there is no guarantee he even knows of Max's power to rewind time. If ever there was a time to attack…"

"Wait a minute," Leo said. "What if he's not trying to kill her anymore? What if he's trying to lure her to his side?"

"Translation please?" Max said.

"The mythological window," Cole said.

"There's a window of opportunity, an opening," Leo added.

"Forty-eight hours."

"Right, forty-eight hours where a nascent witch who hasn't chosen to use her powers for good or evil yet can be swayed either way," Leo said as he sat down next to Piper.

"Does that include me?" Max wondered.

"No," Leo said. "You already used your powers for good when you saved Chloe's life. You can't be lured."

"Wait, so all he has to do is cast a spell on Paige?" Phoebe asked.

Cole shook his head. "No, he can't. It has to be her choice, but he can tempt her, entice her. If he gets her to use her powers for evil…"

"She becomes evil forever," Leo said as Phoebe sighed.

"Who makes up these hella idiotic rules?" Chloe wondered. She noticed that Cole looked down while Leo looked up. "Never mind."

"Okay, so we have less than 24 hours to get to Paige and no idea how to find her," Phoebe said.

"But I bet the Source does," Piper said.


	5. Chapter 4: Charmed Part 4

**Chapter 4: Charmed Part 4  
**

They had gone to the attic in hopes of finding a way to try and find Paige. Scrying was useless, so was Leo's sensing power. That left the Book of Shadows.

"Are you sure you don't want me to turn Belthazor loose on Cortez just for a minute or two?" Cole asked.

Piper, Phoebe, Max and Chloe had been filled in on what had happened at the police station after Cortez was rescued from where Cole had taken him. They knew why now the Inspector had them under surveillance. Or rather Piper and Phoebe on suspicion that they had something to do with Prue's death. Max and Chloe were safe from suspicion, due to they hadn't even been in town when Prue had died. But they weren't sure how long it would remain that way.

"No," Leo said as he glanced at Cole and Chloe as they stood looking out the window at Cortez and his car. "He doesn't have anything on the girls yet. And Max and Chloe are safe at the moment."

"What's Belthazor, anyways?" Chloe asked as she glanced at Cole.

"My demonic half," Cole said.

Phoebe sighed. "There was no easy way to tell you, Max, Chloe, or I would have done it already. Cole is half-demon on his mother's side. But he's good, okay? He has helped us a lot of times protect innocents."

"Okay," Max said. "I guess I can trust him since your vouching for him."

"Good," Phoebe said as she closed the Book of Shadows. "This is useless." She cleared her throat. "We're never gonna find Paige without a little help." The book flipped open on its own and flipped through the pages.

"How is it doing that?" Chloe asked.

"We're not entirely sure. The Book seems to have a mind of its own," Piper said. "But we also know that Grams has used her ghostly powers to help us also."

"Okay, an enchantment spell," Phoebe said. "Wait. How is this gonna help find her?"

"Well, maybe it's not to find Paige," Piper said. "Maybe it's so we can ID the source. See the last line? It's, 'So she can reveal the evil within.'"

"But that'll only help if we can find him?" Phoebe said.

"Maybe we can, or at least," Leo said as he looked towards Cole, "maybe you can.

"What does he mean?" Phoebe asked as Cole moved away from Chloe and toward Max, Piper and Phoebe.

"Demons can sense the Source's aura," Cole said. "It's how he reminds us of his power, his reach. Maybe if I focus on it…"

"Then he'll know you're doing it," Max said. "Won't he then be able to find you? You are after all a rogue demon, doesn't he want you dead?"

"He does," Cole said. "I'd have to be careful. But it's the only chance at saving your aunt and Piper and Phoebe's sister."

"Okay. So we need something to enchant," Piper said.

"Right, um…" Phoebe said as she looked around and spotted a pair of pink kiddy sunglasses. She grabbed them off the shelf. "How about these?"

"I remember when," Piper said as she looked straight at Max.

"What?" Max asked.

"Prue got those not long after she returned home after running away. She must have gotten them to remind herself of you," Piper said.

"Which means, maybe Max should be the one to enchant them?" Phoebe suggested.

"It would be fitting," Piper agreed.

Max took the sunglasses from Phoebe and moved in front of the book.

"Go ahead," Piper said.

"Magic forces far and wide," Max chanted, "Enchant these so those can't hide, allow this witch to use therein, so she can reveal the evil within." She looked down at the glasses as the lenses glowed.

"Test them out," Phoebe said.

Max put on the sunglasses and looked around.

"You look hella amazing," Chloe said as Max looked at her.

"So do you," Max said with a smile. She looked toward Cole and screamed.

"What?" Cole asked.

As Max looked through the glasses she saw Belthazor.

"What do I look like?" Cole asked.

"Uh do you guys have a page in your book on Cole?" Max asked.

Phoebe sighed and nodded; she flipped through the book and stopped on the Belthazor page.

"That's what I saw," Max said as she looked at the page. "When I looked at Cole."

"She saw your demonic half," Phoebe said as she looked toward her boyfriend. "Enchanting." She looked toward the sky. "Thanks for the magical assist Grams."

"How do you know it wasn't somebody else?" Piper asked.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At South Bay Social Services, a man and his wife storm out of an office. Mr. Cowan, Paige's boss, storms off in a different direction. Paige got up and followed them out the front door and toward their car.

Paige held out her hand towards the man. "Heart," she called out as the man clutched his heart in pain.

"Jake, what is it?" the wife asked as Jake fell to the ground. "No!"

Across the parking lot, Piper pulled her jeep to a stop in a parking space. She, Piper, Phoebe, Cole, Max and Chloe got out and looked around.

"I don't see Paige anywhere," Phoebe said.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Cole?" Piper asked.

Cole nodded. " The Source is here. I can sense him."

"Wait," Leo said having spotted Paige. "There she is."

Max put on the sunglasses and saw a black aura around Paige.

"What is she doing?" Piper asked.

"I don't know, but she's got a black aura around her," Max said.

"The Source?" Leo asked.

Cole shook his head. "No. It can't be. If Max saw my demonic self, then she'd see his too."

"Yeah," Phoebe said. "Well, whatever Max is seeing can't be good. Come on."

They rushed toward Paige as a small crowd gathered around Jake and his wife.

"Jake! Jake! No," the wife cried.

"Paige? Paige? It's me, Phoebe. And Piper. And Max," Phoebe said.

"He's evil," Paige said. "He's hurting his child."

"Oh God! Honey," the wife said.

"No," Chloe said. You're being hella seduced into doing this."

"No! No Jake!" the wife cried.

"All right. You know what? Hi," Piper said as she pushed Paige's hand down. "Leo, take her. Go home. Go, go, go, go."

Leo orbed out with Paige as Jake's pain disappear almost as suddenly as it had begun.

"Let's get out of here," Cole said as they walked towards Piper's car. "You four go ahead. I'm going to stay behind. Make sure the Source doesn't follow you."

Max pulled her instamatic camera from her bag and stood beside Cole. "Just in case," she said as she took the picture of the two of them together.

Cole nodded and smiled. He watched as Max got in the back seat next to Chloe and Piper drove off.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

When Chloe, Max, Piper and Phoebe arrived back at the Manor they removed their coats as Piper called out, "Leo, where's…"

At that moment a knife flew past narrowly missing Piper.

"I'm having a hard time convincing her that she is not evil!" Leo said.

"I see that," Piper said.

"Lamp," Paige called out as the lamp orbed out and back in. She telekinetically threw it toward Piper, Phoebe, Max and Chloe. The lamp smashed against the wall narrowly missing them.

"Bright side—at least she's getting the hang of her new power," Phoebe said.

"That was Mom's crystal!" Piper said as Max brought up her hand.

Max had an idea and she grabbed Chloe's hand and then brought time to a stop. "Chloe?"

"How am I not frozen?" Chloe asked.

"I figured much like when someone teleports with Cole, I figured I could move someone through time. I'm going to reverse time. You will save the lamp and I will tackle Paige," Max explained quickly as she rewound time. She moved Chloe over to the lamp and then dropped Chloe's hand which froze Chloe instantly. She kept time halted till she was in position and then released her hold on it.

As time began to move forward again, Max tackled Paige as Chloe grabbed the lamp.

Phoebe quickly moved and helped Max pin Paige to the floor. "I take it you rewound?" she asked as Max nodded. She glanced at Chloe. "And I take it Paige was getting a hang of her powers and threw the lamp at us."

"Yeah," Max said. "Just before I rewound time I figured out a couple things. One that the lamp was your mom's and it had been handed down after she had died. And second that if Cole could teleport or shimmer as you all called it with other people, then why couldn't I move people with me through time?"

"Sounds reasonable," Phoebe said as she glanced at Paige. "Relax. Relax." She glanced at Piper who took the lamp from Chloe and set it back on the table. "All right. Now what?"

"We just better hope there's some Wiccan exorcism in the Book of Shadows cause… yeah," Piper said as she headed for the stairs. She stopped when the lights began to flicker on and off as Shane appeared on the stairs in front of her. "Who are you?"

Shane's eyes turned black and he telekinetically threw Piper through the stairs banister.

"Piper!" Leo and Phoebe called out as Max said, "Aunt Piper!"

Shane threw an energy ball at Phoebe and Max. Phoebe levitated off Paige as Max rolled out of the way and off Paige as well.

Phoebe while still suspended in midair went to kick Shane as he disappeared. He reappeared a couple feet away as she crashed into the Grandfather clock.

Piper raised her hands and blew up Shane just as Paige stood up.

Max put on the glasses as Shane reassembled before them. She saw not Shane but someone dressed in black robes and hood, who she assumed was the Source.

"Your powers are strong, but will they be enough without the Power of Three," Shane said.

"Shane, what's going on?" Paige asked.

Shane smiled. "It's okay. I'm here now."

"Stay away from me," Paige said.

"She still has free will," Leo said. "You can't force her to choose."

"Oh, but she's already chosen, haven't you?" Shane asked. "Come with me. You'll be safe forever. I promise."

"Don't listen to him. He's lying," Chloe said as she glanced at Max and wondered what would have happened if that had been Max instead of Paige. She instantly knew the answer. Max would have said no, she would have known that he was lying.

"They only want you for your power. You don't have to share it. It's yours," Shane said as he transformed into Paige's boss. "You've already seen what you can do with it. You do what nobody else can do." He then transformed into Jake's wife. "You nearly saved my son from his father. From all the pain and suffering he's put him through." He then transformed into Jake's son. "Please help me. Don't let him hurt me anymore. You're my only hope."

Paige took the body's hand and started to follow him toward the door.

"No!" Phoebe said as the boy raised his hand suspending her in midair and shocking her with electricity. "Help me, Max!"

Max closed her eyes and then shook her head. She looked toward Paige. "Aunt Paige, only you can save Aunt Phoebe. Only you can save your sister. But you have to reject him. You know in your heart what he is trying to make you do is wrong."

Paige glanced at Max and then nodded as she pushed the boy to the floor.

Phoebe fell to the floor as Max, Chloe, Piper and Leo rushed over to help her to her feet.

"Phoebe? Okay. Come on. Come on," Piper said as the boy transformed into Shane. "I guess blood's a little thicker than evil." Shane looked at a nearby clock as it chimed. He then collapsed to the floor as the Source materialized.

"I've broken the Charmed circle before," the Source said. "I'll do it again. Besides, it wasn't a complete loss. Thanks to Belthazor."

"What did you do to him?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh my God," Cortez said as they all turned to see him standing near the front door with a video camera.

"Inspector, would you get out of here?!" Piper said as Cortez reached for his gun.

The Source fired off an energy ball at Cortez, knocking him on the coat rack and impaling him on a coat hook before he fell to the floor. The Source then disappeared in a blast of fire.

Everyone raced over to Cortez and Leo knelt down next to him.

"Looks like evil wins again, huh?" Cortez asked.

"Not if I can help it," Leo said with a glance at Max and a shake of his head. He then held out his hands over Cortez and healed the Inspector.

"How'd you do that?" Paige asked as Leo helped a shocked Cortez up.

Leo smiled. "That's what Whitelighters do. We heal good people."

"We have to go find Cole," Phoebe said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At South Bay Social Services Cole lay on the ground, dying.

"Cole!" Phoebe yelled as she spotted her boyfriend. She knelt down beside him and put his head in her lap. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

Max reached out her hand prepared to stop time.

"No, Max," Piper said. "We don't know if you can selectively freeze like I can."

Max nodded as she dropped her hand and watched as Piper froze Cole instead.

"Heal him," Piper said.

"You know that it's against the rules," Leo said.

"Leo, screw the rules," Phoebe said. "If they are going to allow Max to save Chloe's family, they can allow you to save Cole. Besides the Elders owe us."

"Even if I could, I could only heal his human half and that…" Leo said, "wouldn't be enough power to save him."

"Maybe I should jump back via that picture I took of myself and Cole and warn him," Max suggested.

Piper shook her head as she pulled Max aside, away from Paige, Leo and Phoebe. "No I have an idea here. If it doesn't work then you can jump back and warn him," she said as she glanced toward Paige.

Max followed Piper's gaze and understood what Piper was not saying. Paige was supposed to be like Cole, half and half. Half witch and half, like Leo, Whitelighter. Maybe Paige's half could offset Cole's half? "Do you think it will work, not only to save him, but reaffirm that she is a good person?" she whispered as Piper nodded.

Paige seemed to feel Piper and Max's gaze upon her and she deduced what they might have been thinking "Aren't I half Whitelighter? I mean, couldn't I use my half to offset his half?"

"It's worth a try. Take my hand," Leo said as Paige knelt down next to him and took his hand. "Hold your other hand over his wound." Paige held her free hand over Cole and both hers and and Leo's glowed.

Cole unfroze and gasped for air as he was healed.

"That was good, right?" Paige asked as Piper and Max helped her up.

"That was very good. Let's just hope it wasn't all for nothing," Piper said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper and Phoebe sat with Leo and Cole at a booth at Piper's club P3 as a waitress dropped off drinks for Cole and Leo.

"Oh good, thank you," Cole said.

"Thanks, too," Leo added as the waitress left. "Feels good be here again."

Cole chuckled. "Feels good to be anywhere again.

"I will drink to that," Phoebe said as they all clinked their glasses in a toast. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"Promise," Cole said.

Phoebe smiled as she took a drink. She looked at Piper. "Why did you have Max not go back and warn Cole?"

"It was feeling I had," Piper said. "And I'm glad it panned out."

"You okay?" Leo asked.

"I'm not sure," Piper said.

"Prue?" Leo wondered.

Piper nodded. "Yeah. We barely got through the funeral and then everything started to go crazy and we haven't had a chance to mourn yet. And that's just not right."

"I think we'll have the rest of our lives for that," Phoebe said.

"I'm still not sure about continuing on with this destiny thing," Piper said. "I need some time to think about it. Especially now, while she is old enough to look out for herself, I do have to look out for Prue's daughter. I hope you're okay with that."

"Absolutely," Phoebe agreed.

Piper nodded as she glanced at her husband. "And I hope you're okay with it too."

"They may not be, but I am," Leo said.

"So," Paige said as she walked up to them, "does this mean I get free drinks now?" She noticed Phoebe chuckling and hoped that didn't come out wrong. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that. It's not that I really drink or … Okay. I'm just gonna go."

"No, Paige," Leo said as he moved to stop Paige from leaving. "You belong here, remember?"

"You sure?" Paige asked. "I don't want to intrude."

"Mmm. Come on. Come sit right here," Phoebe said as Cole stood and moved next to Leo.

"Okay, so, uh, maybe Leo and I should go uh… pretend like we got something better to do," Cole said as Paige sat next to Phoebe.

"Good idea," Piper agreed as Leo and Cole left.

"I won't stay long. I just wanted to, uh, come by and thank you," Paige said.

"For what?" Phoebe wondered.

"For what? You mean, beside from saving my life," Paige said with a chuckle. "I feel like I should bake you a cake or something."

"Do you cook?" Piper asked wondering if she had someone who liked to cook as much as she did.

"No, no. Not really," Paige said.

"So how's Shane?" Phoebe asked.

"He's okay," Paige said, "I guess, except I'm not too sure he wants to see me anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Phoebe said apologetically.

"No. Can't say I blame him. You know?" Paige explained. "He doesn't know exactly what happened to him, but he knows its something bad and he knows it's somehow connected to me."

"Yeah, well, you're not truly one of us until you've dated a demon, so, welcome to the club," Piper said.

"Can I ask you a question?" Phoebe asked as Paige nodded. "Why did you come to Prue's funeral? I mean, you never even met her, right?"

Paige shook her head. "No," she said. "I never did. I don't want this to be taken the wrong way, but… I just feel like a part of me lost her too and I just … I felt drawn to her, to all you guys. I guess it was just a part of me trying to find out who I was."

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other. "Come on," Piper said. "There's something we need to show you."

"Show me what?" Paige asked.

Phoebe smiled. "What good magic can do."

They got up and headed for door.

"Can I ask, who were the two girls that were always with you guys?" Paige said as they walked out the door of the club.

"Our niece, Max," Phoebe said.

"She's Prue's daughter," Piper added. "One that we just found out about."

"And the blue haired girl is Max's girlfriend, Chloe," Phoebe said.

"You just found out …" Paige said realizing that her sisters hadn't known about Max till just recently.

"Prue was afraid Grams would take Max away from her. Or not let Max's father Andy be around," Piper said. "So Prue and Andy gave Max up for adoption. Max showed up like you at Prue's funeral. Seems she was called to San Francisco and the funeral for the same reason you were. To find her family. Her powers had just manifested and she had questions. Questions I hope we gave her."

"Is she staying?" Paige wondered.

"We hope so," Phoebe said as they got into Piper's Jeep.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max and Chloe were watching TV when they heard the front door open and close.

"Aunt Piper? Aunt Phoebe? Uncle Leo? Cole?" Max called out.

"It's just me, Phoebe and Paige," Piper called back. "Come on, I think you should see this also."

"See what?" Chloe asked as Max turned off the TV and they followed Piper, Phoebe and Paige up the stairs to the attic.

"What good magic can do," Phoebe repeated. She proceeded to light the candles that Piper had left from the last time they summoned Grams. She then joined Piper by the Book of Shadows.

"Here these words," Piper and Phoebe chanted. "Hear my cry spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee. Cross now the Great Divide."

Patty appeared inside the circle of candles and smiled.

"There's someone here we thought you should meet," Phoebe said to Paige.

Patty smiled as she looked at Paige. "Paige."

"Mom?" Paige asked shocked to see Patty standing there.

Patty stepped outside the circle and became corporeal. She hugged Paige who smiled at her and returned the embrace. When she stepped away from Paige she moved to Max and pulled her into an embrace. "Max."

"Grandma Patty," Max said as a tear escaped her eye.

"Both of you, welcome home," Patty said. She hugged first Paige again and then Max again. Finally she looked to Chloe and pulled the startled blue haired girl into an embrace. "Thank you for taking care of my granddaughter.

"It is I who should be hella thanking you and Max's mom," Chloe said. "If you hadn't given birth to Max's mom and she hadn't given birth to Max. I wouldn't have had the best friend I had for all those years. Or the girlfriend I have now."

Max smiled and when Patty released Chloe she pulled Chloe into an embrace and kissed her best friend and girlfriend quite passionately.


	6. Chapter 5: Enter the Demon Part 1

**Author's Note:** Before I get into responding to the reviews. I wanted to mention Hell Hath No Fury was skipped because I felt that with Max's introduction and her telling Piper and Phoebe in Charmed Part 2 about saving Chloe over and over and about trying to save William and wind up having to undo it, that Hell Hath No Fury was not needed as much. As it gave Piper and Phoebe something to think about.

 _ **edboy4926:**_ No I haven't played Quantum Break, hadn't heard of it till you mentioned it. My computer is slightly outdated, I am still running WinXP, and since Quantum Break is Windows 10 exclusive (I googled it to see what the min req was), I can't play it until I upgrade my computer.

 _ **Reploid Avenger -**_ If you would like there is a series of videos on Youtube of one gamer's playthrough of Life is Strange. The Youtuber is called Clumsy Chicken, so look for her account on Youtube and you should be able to find her playthrough and watch it, she even adds her own commentary as she plays through it.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Enter the Demon Part 1**

Max sat on the steps of the basement as she watched Cole and Phoebe sparring.

"Don't be tense. Be ready," Cole said. "When you see me expand, you contract. If I contract, you expand."

"If you wanted to be on top all you had to do was ask," Phoebe said as Cole flipped and then sat down on top of her. She let out a giggle and heard an echoing giggle from the stairs. She looked up and saw Max. "Max, what are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be upstairs studying for Piper's quiz?"

Max sighed. "Well, I was kinda hoping to get in some lessons from Cole."

"I should tell you, Piper takes her witchcraft quizzes very seriously, you better be prepared," Phoebe said as Cole let her up. "What's the subject?"

"Potion basics," Max said.

"Eww," Phoebe said.

Max nodded. "Mm."

"Well, you gotta start somewhere," Phoebe said.

"I know," Max said. "I could read it later, jump back via the selfie I took of me and Chloe this morning and wow Aunt Piper."

"Phoebe?" Cole said.

Phoebe sighed. "Max, Piper and I had to learn how to be witches the hard way and it took… well, it took too long. Paige of course has to get there faster than you do. But because of your rewind power you need to get there fast too, our lives might depend on it."

"Appealing to my conscious. Such a low blow," Max said as she stood up. "I wonder what Aunt Piper has Chloe doing?"

"Well actually," Chloe said as she came down the stairs behind Max. "I asked Phoebe and Cole if they could teach me a thing or two. While I don't have your hella awesomesauce powers, Max. I do need to learn to protect myself, right?"

Max smiled as she kissed Chloe on the cheek. "Probably wouldn't hurt. Don't want to have to try and hope I can rewind."

"Right," Chloe said as she returned the kiss, but full on Max's lips. "Better get up there. Piper was asking where you were as I passed her and Paige in the kitchen."

"Okay," Max said as she headed up the stairs.

"So what's first?" Chloe asked.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max stepped through the basement door and found Piper and Paige sitting at the kitchen table.

"Okay. After mixing your potions," Piper said as she motioned toward Max to have a seat, "what's the best method to preserve unused sea slugs for future use? A) Pickle them, B) Sugar them, C) Smoke them, D) Freeze dry them.

"Well, now you see, if I had extra sea slugs, I'd let those little suckers go right on back to the ocean," Paige said as Max laughed.

"Smoke them," Max said with a shrug. "I think their one of your delicacies aren't they Aunt Piper?"

Piper sighed and shook her head as Max sat down next to her and Paige. "Freeze dry them, is the correct answer."

"I was going to guess that," Paige said in her own defense.

"Why are either of you guessing?" Piper asked.

"To pass," Paige said with a shrug.

"Sorry Aunt Piper," Paige said. "Chloe kept me up late."

"I know, I think we need to soundproof your room," Piper said. "But this isn't like trig. It's not like you're never going to use it again. If you blow a potion, innocent people could die. Did either of you study at all for this test?"

"I intended to study today and then jump back via my morning selfie and wow ya," Max said.

"I started to last night," Paige said. "It's just a friend from work came over and she knew this bouncer at this club and… I'm sorry."

Piper sighed. "It's okay. I was single … once. Why don't you both study tonight..."

"I can't," Paige said. "I have a guy coming over here and we're going out."

"Here? What's wrong with your place?" Piper wondered.

Paige smiled. "Uh, this place is slightly more impressive than mine."

"She does have a point," Max said. "I have seen Aunt Paige's apartment."

"Actually, Chloe and Max were going to borrow my apartment tonight," Paige said. "While I was out."

"We had a romantic dinner for two planned," Max said. "Kinda our first date. We didn't really get one in Arcadia Bay with all the shit that went down and then the tornado."

"Uh-huh. Look I really, really want to be the cool big sister or the cool aunt, but this is ridiculous," Piper said. "You both have no priorities."

"That is not true. I've left work to fight demons," Paige said.

"And I've left class to help fight demons also," Max said. Since she and Chloe had moved into the Manor, Piper had found her an art school there in San Francisco that offered a photography program. She had to swing a no cover charge to the club for the Principal and his wife for the rest of Max's senior year to get Max in.

"That's why we both have our respective things going on tonight," Paige said. "For me, the boss' son is in town for the weekend."

"And you think showing him a good time is gonna improve your career standing? " Piper asked.

"Well, yeah," Paige said.

"Max?" Piper said.

"Between your magic quizzes, studying for them and going to school. I haven't had much time to spend with Chloe," Max said. "Chloe and I want to spend some time together, tonight."

"Okay, listen to me very carefully, both of you. There is nothing more important than learning your craft right now. We could be attacked at any moment," Piper said.

"Then why are we stuck here reading?" Paige asked. "We should be learning how to body slam sweaty demons like Phoebe and Chloe."

"First of all, Phoebe has been at this longer than you have," Piper said. "Secondly, Chloe is mortal; she has no active powers in a household of witches. If she weren't Max's girlfriend, I would not want her living here. She's learning martial arts from Phoebe and Cole so she can defend herself should a demon attack. Defend herself and run. She shouldn't be relying on Max to rewind and save her every time. And third, Phoebe and Cole offered to teach Chloe."

"Where are you going?" Max asked as Piper stood up grabbing her keys and umbrella.

"Chinatown. I need to stock up on some of these herbs," Piper said.

"Ooh, can I go? I can get my nails done," Paige said.

Piper shook her head. "You both need to work on your potions."

"Come on!" Paige said as she stood up.

"Paige, don't make me the wicked witch of the northwest," Piper said. "I—I didn't ask for this big sister gig, nor being aunt—no offense, Max. But since I'm on a roll, Paige, you should get rid of that lollipop habit because it's gonna rot your teeth."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper walked into the herbal shop in Chinatown, the first thing she noticed was a woman arguing with the shopkeeper.

"Please, just listen to me," the woman said. "You have no idea how important this is to me."

"Come back later," the shopkeeper told her.

"If I could come back later, I would, but I can't. I need it now."

"That dagger is a family heirloom," he said. "It's not for sale."

"Excuse me," Piper interrupted. "Do you have any wormwood?"

"You don't understand," the woman said ignoring Piper and bringing the shopkeeper's attention back to her. "I don't want to buy it. It's all right here in the note."

"I don't read Chinese," he said

Piper sighed. "Uh, wormwood," she reminded him.

"You have to help me," the woman said still ignoring Piper. "My father needs the dragon blade. He said your father would—"

"My father is out of town until Tuesday," he replied. "You'll have to come back then. Excuse me, I have customers." He turned to look at Piper.

"Yes. Hi. Thank you," Piper said. "Hi. I need a sprig of wormwood, preferably small stemmed."

As the man moved to get the wormwood, the woman jumped up onto the wall and grabbed the dragon blade.

Piper reacted instinctively and tried to freeze the woman who didn't freeze as she jumped back down and ran out of the shop. She turned and chased after the woman. "Hey!" she called out. She raised her hands and aiming for some boxes ahead of the woman caused them explode.

"Who are you?" the woman said just as a man came out of the shadows of a nearby doorway.

"An-Ling!" he said.

An-Ling smiled. "I have it, father," she said as a second man came out of a puddle of water and stabbed An-Ling's father. "No!"

"Like I said, we're just getting started," the new man said.

"Father!" An-Ling yelled as the new man and her father disappeared into the puddle the new man came out of.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Back at the Manor Paige and Max were working on a potion. "Next up, some powered toadstool. Bam!" Paige said as she and Max each threw in a portion of the powdered toadstool. "Let's kick it up one more notch."

"Whoa, what-what are you two doing?" Leo asked as he entered the kitchen.

"You know, just preparing for the Source," Paige said.

"Oh, is he coming over for dinner?" Leo asked.

Max shook her head. "No, Aunt Piper's got us mixing potions."

"Why, I don't know," Paige said. "Both Phoebe and Chloe gets to fight. Phoebe gets to levitate. We get to cook."

"Well, you know Piper and Phoebe's active powers took a long time to develop," Leo said. "And, uh, Phoebe's been studying martial arts for years. Also Chloe is mortal, she is learning self-defense, and she shouldn't have to rely on Max's rewind power to save her every time."

"Well Max and I are magic," Paige said. "We should be able to skip over all that crap."

"Well, there are no shortcuts. Even with magic," Leo said. "As far as you're concerned, Max, you need to learn this stuff, innocent lives could be at stake. And Paige, you're half White-Lighter which means you're half pacifist. Neither of you may ever develop the power to fight like Phoebe. Especially you, Max. When you can rewind time, you can change the outcome of the fight before its even fought till the outcome comes out in your favor."

"My power doesn't always work. I tried using it to save a friend of mine from jumping off a roof. It cut out the moment I stepped onto the roof," Max said with a sigh.

"Did you save her?" Leo asked.

Max nodded. "I had to talk her down. But without the ability to rewind I had to choose carefully what I said."

"Then your power worked just the way it was supposed to," Leo said. "A power as powerful as yours should have limits to it or otherwise you could unravel everything."

"I can still do that," Max said with a sigh as she remembered the alternate timeline she had traveled to when she had save Chloe, Buffy and Dawn's father, William from the car crash that had taken his life. Both Chloe and Dawn had to pay the price when after Chloe had turned 16 she had gotten them into a car accident. Dawn had been killed outright, Chloe had been put in a wheelchair.

"What did you do?" Leo asked as he led Max from the kitchen and into the living room.

"I jumped via a photo Chloe's dad, William had taken, when Chloe and I were younger, before my parents and I moved from Arcadia Bay," Max said as they sat down on the couch. "I changed William's fate. He was going to meet Joyce at the Two Whales Gallery and take her to the store. He died in a car accident. I changed that, threw his keys out into the back yard where he couldn't find them readily. Persuaded him to take the bus. It had repercussions."

"On Chloe's sixteenth birthday," Max continued, "William and Joyce had given her a car for her birthday. Dawn begged Chloe for a ride in her car and Chloe assented, she loves both her sisters, but especially Dawn since she is the youngest. So Chloe took Dawn out for the first drive in her new car. It would also be their last drive in that car. Dawn was killed outright when they were struck head on by another vehicle. Chloe, she survived, but she became wheelchair bound. Not only was she wheelchair bound, but she was slowly dying. Her respiratory system was failing. She begged me to kill her, to end her pain. And I did, because I love her so much, and I couldn't bear to see her in pain."

"I assume you reversed what you had done?" Leo asked.

Max nodded. "Before she died she asked me to get her photo album, she wanted to reminisce about when we were kids. In it was the photo I had originally used to travel back. After she was gone, I used it and traveled back, this time I let William leave, I let him die, because the alternative was so much worse."

"I believe that event was a way of showing you that you cannot use your powers for personal gain," Leo said. "Your mother, Piper and Phoebe went through a similar thing a couple years ago. The Elders sent them to an alternate future. I don't know everything that went on in that alternate future, but I know they came back when they had learned that they can't use their powers for personal gain. And that is likely what the Elders did to you. They allowed you to change William's fate so that you can learn you can't use your powers for personal gain."

"I did that though didn't I when I saved Chloe over and over again?" Max said.

"No, remember I asked the Elders and they had said that Chloe was supposed to live, that by her living, you and her could save her family. Remember her middle sister has a destiny here in California. If you had not saved Chloe, they may not have left town because of your warning and they may have died in that tornado. You were allowed to save her for that reason. And any other changes you made while in Arcadia Bay were for that end result, even if they weren't tied directly to Chloe and her family."

"Leo!" Piper called out from the foyer as she walked through the front door.

Max and Leo met Piper and An-Ling at the entrance to the living room.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Yen-Lo was a powerful disciple, but he used my father's teachings for evil," An-Ling explained some moments later. "That's why my father passed him over for master. And because he did, Yen-Lo swore vengeance on him."

"But didn't you say you stabbed Yen-Lo when he first attacked?" Leo asked.

An-Ling nodded. "Yes, but he used his knowledge of the teachings to escape before he died."

"Escape where?" Max wondered.

"To a place where souls pass on their way to reincarnation," An-Ling answered. "It's a mystical region between life and death."

"Limbo," Leo explained at the questioning gaze he received from both Piper and Max.

"Yen-Lo somehow figured out a way to hide out there," An-Ling said.

"But if you stabbed him—" Piper said.

"Metaphysical and magical laws are amplified in limbo," Leo said. "As long as he stays there his wound will never advance. He can literally cheat death forever."

"That's why I took the dragon blade," An-Ling said. "It has the power to trap human souls. Now it's the only way to save my father."

"You think he's still alive?" Max asked as she thought back to Chloe's father William and what Leo had said about her trying to change his fate.

"Yen-Lo just doesn't want to kill my father," An-Ling said. "He wants to punish him. Holding him in limbo does that. It keeps his soul from being reborn."

"Do you know how to, uh, get to this limbo?" Piper asked.

An-Ling shook her head. "No, I never mastered that skill."

"Well, then we'll have to figure out our own way. Phoebe! Paige!" Piper called out.

"I can't let you do that," An-Ling said. "I know you're powerful witches, but I can't put you in danger. Yen-Lo will be coming for me next."

"All the more reason you should be here where it's safe," Piper said as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She looked up as Phoebe, Paige and Chloe walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"No place is safe from Yen-Lo. He can use any surface of water as a portal," An-Ling said.

"Maybe, but he can only stay in our world for short periods. Otherwise, his wound will ultimately kill him," Leo said.

"You called," Paige said as Max, An-Ling and Piper stood up.

"Um, this is An-Ling," Piper said.

"Hi, I'm Paige," Phoebe said as everyone looked at her curiously. "I mean, Paige's older sister Phoebe. This is Paige."

"Howdy. Hi. Paige here," Paige said.

"And this is my girlfriend, Chloe," Max said as she took Chloe's hand in hers. She leaned over and whispered into Chloe's ear. "We have to talk."

Chloe simply nodded.

"Um, okay," Piper said. "We've got a water loving demon, so Phoebe can you take Paige to the water main. It takes two to turn off that rusty valve."

"Water main. Right," Phoebe said as she started to head off. Paige stopped her and pulled her in another direction.

"Okay, Book of Shadows," Piper said. "There's got to be another way to get into limbo."

Max and Chloe watch as Leo stood and followed Piper up the stairs.

"Excuse us," Max said to An-Ling as she led Chloe into the conservatory.

"What is it?" Chloe asked worried about what Max had to talk to her about.

"You remember I told you about seeing William and changing his fate and yours?" Max asked as Chloe nodded. "It seems I'm not supposed to do stuff like that with my power. The Elders that Leo works for allowed me to do that to teach me a lesson."

"What lesson?" Chloe wondered.

"That I can't use my powers for personal gain," Max said with a sigh. "That there could be repercussions to doing so. And we both know what the repercussions to my saving William were."

"I begged you to kill me," Chloe said with a sigh. "And Dawn had already been dead since the accident that put me in a wheelchair. I know you told me, remember?"

"Right," Max said. "It's one thing to use my powers to help people, to change minor things. You were never destined to die, we know that now. That was why I was allowed to save you over and over again. Why I was able to be a guardian angel to Alyssa. And why I was able to halt time long enough to reach Kate on that roof. But I can't use it to go back in time like that."

"That hella sucks," Chloe said. "I know you have been wishing you could go back and save your birth mom. But now …"

"I can't," Max said. "Like Grams said, everything happens for a reason. So there was a reason why William had to die. There was a reason why Prue had to die also. We may never know what those reasons were, but there was one."

At that moment the doorbell rang. Max walked into the foyer followed by Chloe. She opened the door. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," the man said that waited on the porch. "I'm here to pick up Paige."

"Aunt Paige!" Max called out as Paige walked up behind her and Chloe.

"I'm right here, Max," Paige said. "Can I help you?"

The man laughed. "Sense of humor," he said. "I really like that in a girl. So you ready to go, Paige?"

"Uh—" Paige said as Phoebe came up next to her.

"Mason, hi," Phoebe said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Mason said. "Do I know you?"

Max looked at Chloe and then at Phoebe wondering what was going on. Why would Paige not recognize him when Phoebe did, especially when he was here for Paige.

"No, no. But I know you," Phoebe said as she noticed Max looking at her curiously. She wondered if Max suspected. "At least I feel like I know you seeing as how Paige can't stop talking about you, Mason the boss's son. He's as cute as you said he was."

"Well, uh, nice to see you. Bye," Paige said as she began to close the door.

"No, wait!" Phoebe said. "Aren't you guys going for dinner? "

"Yeah, is Italian okay?" Mason asked.

"Chinese," Phoebe said. "You must have Chinese. Chinatown Chinese, even better."

"That's—That's cool," Mason said in agreement.

"Okay," Paige said as Phoebe handed her a coat.

"Okay, so you two kids have fun," Phoebe said before lowering her voice to a whisper and whispering in Phoebe's ear. "And keep my face out of the sun."

Paige looked at Phoebe and rolled her eyes before leaving with Mason.

"Aunt Phoebe, you alright?" Max asked.

"I was hella wondering the same thing," Chloe agreed. "You seem to be out of it or something."

"I—I'm fine," Phoebe said as Piper came down the stairs.

"Who was at the door?" Piper asked.

"Um, just Paige's date," Phoebe said.

Piper sighed. "She's still going on her date?" she asked as Phoebe shrugged. "Ugh. What's with the lollipop?"

"Paige sort of got me into them," Phoebe answered.

"I gotta be honest," Piper said. "I'm really starting to worry about Paige and a little about you, Max."

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, first of all Paige made me realize I hate being the big sister," Piper said. "Which made me realize, no offense, Max, that I hate being the mother figure to my sister's daughter. I would rather be the cool aunt. And it's suddenly my responsibility to teach you both how to be a witches. And neither of you seem to listen to me."

"I listen Aunt Piper," Max said.

"Then why were you talking with Leo?" Piper asked. "Instead of working on the potion I asked you and Paige to work on."

"Learning," Max said, "about personal gain and consequences. Why I couldn't save William, when I could save the rest of Chloe's family."

"Alright," Piper said with a nod.

"And, Paige listens... sometimes," Phoebe said.

"Really?" Piper asked. "Cause she's got me fooled. And you know what, it's a shame because she might actually have a lot of potential."

"Really?" Phoebe said surprised.

"But the problem is, I don't think she cares, about anything," Piper said. "You, Max, I can understand a little. And it is my fault, you are overworked. School, studying for my quizzes, helping with demon battles. You have a lot on your plate."

"Thanks, Aunt Piper," Max said. "That means a lot to hear you say that."

"Paige cares," Phoebe said. "I know she does. You just have to give her a chance. I think Paige is the kind of person that… needs to learn from her mistakes. And believe me, she's learning fast."

"Mm-hmm," Piper said as she walked off.

Max sighed as she realized what was happening with Phoebe. "Aunt Paige, take that out of Aunt Phoebe's mouth, before you rot her teeth."

Phoebe looked at Max her eyes going wide. "You—you did figure it out. I was wondering if you would. Please don't say anything to Piper. I'm trying to fix it, it's why Phoebe went on my date with Mason. She's getting the final ingredient."

"Why shouldn't she hella tell Piper?" Chloe asked. "You messed up."

"It's okay, Chloe," Max said as she thought back once again to William. "I can see why I shouldn't tell Aunt Piper. As Aunt Paige said, she is learning from her mistakes. Just as I had to learn I couldn't use my power for personal gain, to save William."

Chloe sighed as she looked at Max and nodded. "Alright."


	7. Chapter 6: Enter the Demon Part 2

**Author's Note:**

 _ **edboy4926:**_ I will keep the game in mind if or when I ever upgrade to Win10. On the story idea, since I've never played (and can't play because of its Win10 exclusive requirement) I don't think I would want to try and tackle a story that is set in a world I don't know the backstory on.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Enter the Demon Part 2  
**

Paige and Mason walked into the herb shop and Paige began looking for the ingredient that Phoebe had said been missing for her potion.

"Uh, hmm. What is this place?" Mason asked noticing a jar of squids.

Paige sighed as she glanced at Mason. "I just gotta find some powdered toadstool. Ah, here it is.," she said as she took a bag out of a basket.

"Okay, I—I gotta warn you. I'm not into the whole herbal scene."

"Oh, neither is Paige, I don't think," Paige said.

"You always talk about yourself in the third person like that?" Mason wondered.

"Uh…" Paige said trying to come up with an excuse. "It's kind of a character flaw."

"So what's the toadstool for?" Mason asked.

Paige smiled. "It's an aphrodisiac," she said as she walked over to the counter.

"Really? My Dad was right. He said you were, uh, unique. I believe is the word he used," he said.

"Oh, yeah?" Paige said. "What else did he say about me?"

"He said that if he doesn't hurry up and make a social worker, you'll probably quit and start your own agency. That or end up in jail. He wasn't sure which," Mason answered.

Paige nodded. "I could see that," she said as she paid for the powdered toadstool. She looked at Mason and sighed. "I'm not showing you a very good time. Am I?"

"Well, I don't know," he said. "I mean we're in Chinatown shopping for a sexual stimulant. I'm surrounded by chicken claws and goat brains. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Neither have I," Paige said with a smile just as they heard a thunder clap outside. "Uh-oh. Yen-Lo."

"Uh, what's that? Another aphrodisiac?" Mason asked.

"I gotta go," Paige said as she ran out of the store, leaving Mason behind.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the basement of the Manor Phoebe was trying to levitate as Chloe watched.

"What are you doing?" Cole asked as he shimmered in.

"Uh, just… some exercises. Levitating exercises," Phoebe said.

"So you've decided to make training you're priority?" Cole asked.

Phoebe nodded. "Yes, absolutely."

"You ready, Chloe?" Cole asked.

"I gave her the afternoon off. She and Max were supposed to be going on a date," Phoebe said. "It's not like she has to battle the Source or anything. She's only learning self-defense to be able to get away if a demon targets her, right?"

"True," Cole said. "So then you and I will pick up where we left off this morning before Chloe joined us."

"Right. Cool," Phoebe said.

"I'll throw a couple of low voltage energy balls at you. You just try to avoid them," Cole said.

"Energy balls?" Phoebe said startled. Cole threw an energy ball and hit her in the shoulder. "Oh!" He threw another one and hit her on the butt. "Ah! Okay, now that's just rude. I am not having fun."

"Fighting the Source isn't supposed to be fun," Cole said.

"That's it, pal," Phoebe said. "You are not the Source and you do not treat your girlfriend this way. Murderers, demons, phone solicitors maybe, but not your girlfriend."

"What's gotten into you?" Cole asked as he walked up to Phoebe.

"Paige!" Phoebe said. "I mean ... I told Paige how you've been treating me and she just thinks you're way out line, buddy."

"Phoebe, you're the most important thing in my life. If I don't push you hard, I will lose you," Cole said.

"You keep pushing her that way, and you'll push her right out the door," Phoebe said.

"What do you mean her?" Cole asked.

"I meant me," Phoebe said.

"You said her," Cole said.

"Did I?" Phoebe asked with a glance at Chloe.

"You hella did," Chloe said.

Phoebe nodded and looked back at Cole. "Well, it's … I'm just—I'm very angry. You know? Because, well you tore my jog bra and now I just—I have to go change," she said before running upstairs.

Cole looked at Chloe. "What was that all about," he asked.

"Think about it," Chloe said. "You hella should be able to figure it out."

"That was Paige, wasn't it?" Cole asked. "The potion she and Max were supposed to be working on together backfired on Paige."

"Yeah," Chloe said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the attic Max looked out the window at the pouring rain. Behind her Leo and Piper were looking in the Book of Shadows and An-Ling was looking in a bowl of water.

"There is actually nothing in here on how to reach Limbo," Piper said.

"Should you have that water up here?" Leo asked as he walked toward An-Ling. "I mean what if Yen-Lo uses that as a portal."

"It's okay," An-Ling said. "The surface is too small for him to enter."

"So, what are you doing?" Max asked without looking back from the window. She was only half paying attention. Her mind seemed to be in two places at once. One part of her mind was listening to what was going on behind her. The other part was in Arcadia Bay with Chloe's dad, William. She wondered why the Elders would be so cruel to allow her to try and change William's fate when they knew that she shouldn't.

"My father could use water as a looking glass into other worlds," An-Ling said. "Once when I was young, he reached into a bowl of water and picked me a plum from the Garden of Eden."

"Can you see your father now?" Leo asked.

An-Ling shook her head. "No. I only see water," she said as she put the bowl down. "I wish he were here. He'd know what to do."

Max had an idea. "Do you have a picture of your father?" she asked.

"I might, why?" An-Ling replied.

"What are you thinking, Max?" Leo asked.

"I jump back and ask An-Ling's father how to get into limbo," Max replied.

"Jump back?" An-Ling asked confused.

"Max, has the power to rewind time. If she has a picture of herself taken at some point in the past she can jump back to when that picture was taken," Piper said. "Max, any picture An-Ling has of her father would do you no good, if you are not in it."

"But if I can rewind time and take someone with me into the rewind. Why can't I jump into a picture that does not have me in it?" Max asked.

"It's a possibility," Leo said. "But I don't think this is the time to test your theory." He looked to Piper. "I better go check with the Elders. Maybe they can help us reach Limbo." He then orbed out.

"Sometimes I think Yen-Lo was right," An-Ling said. "My father made the wrong choice. Yen-Lo was always the better student. "

"Oh, I doubt that," Piper said as she sat down next to An-Ling. "You beat him in battle."

An-Ling sighed. "But I didn't kill him. I made him stronger. Strong enough to remove my father's magic and wisdom from the world. I don't feel worthy of following in his footsteps."

"I understand. I recently lost my big sister, Max's mother," Piper said, "who was … pretty good at just about everything she did. Very tough shoes to fill."

An-Ling looked toward Max wondering slightly if Max had the ability to rewind time, how come she hadn't saved her mother. She looked toward Piper. "Where did you find the strength?"

Piper smiled. "I haven't yet, but I'll let you know when I do." She looked toward Max and the window. "Come on. With all this rain, we have to protect the house from Yen-Lo." As she got up she kept her gaze on Max. "Uh Max and I will join you shortly."

An-Ling nodded as she headed out of the attic.

"Max?" Piper said as she walked over to her niece. "What's wrong?"

"Ever since Leo told me that my saving William was allowed by the Elders so I could learn the lesson about personal gain," Max replied. "I can't seem to get it out of my head that I'm not allowed to save those closest to me. Why do I have this power if I can't go back and save Prue?"

Piper sighed. "I've wondered something similar myself. Why I'm alive and Prue is dead. Leo healed me before going to Prue. And I found myself questioning why. Was it because I am his wife? Or was I just the first one he reached? Was I destined to live and Prue to die? Or what? I don't have the answer to my own questions, just as you don't have the answers to yours. Those answers may never come; it is just something you have to live with."

Max looked at Piper and sighed. "I know. But I still wish I could …"

"Go back, change it, and get to know Prue?" Piper asked as Max nodded. "Prue, Phoebe and I traveled back to 1975. We saw mom alive, Phoebe left a note for mom trying to warn her about the demon that would kill her."

"What happened?" Max wondered as she turned to face her aunt.

"Phoebe took the note back, without mom having ever seen it," Piper said. "For Phoebe that was a big choice. You see Phoebe was a little like you. She was too young to remember mom. The only memories she has of mom are now, after mom died and has come to us as a spirit, and when we went back to 1975. For Phoebe she had always wanted to spend time with mom, and never got the chance till that trip. It is why she took the note back before mom could read it, because she had gotten what she had always dreamed about. Someday you will meet Prue, of that I have no doubt. And you will find, just like Phoebe, that meeting her was better than going and changing her past for just one moment of happiness."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Downstairs Paige walked through the front door and put her bag on the table. As she took off her coat and hat Cole walked up to her. "Cole!" she said. "You scared me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to," he replied. "With the rain outside and everyone on Yen-Lo alert."

Paige nodded as she put her coat on the coat rack. "Yeah, Yen-Lo. That's why I rushed home."

"You're chilled," Cole said as he offered Paige his jacket. "Here put this on."

"Uh, you keep it," Paige said as Cole pinned her to the wall.

"I'm sorry. Am I making you feel... uncomfortable?" Cole asked.

Paige shook her head. "No, of course not. I was just wondering what Phoebe would think about this."

"Phoebe?" Cole asked.

"Uh, yeah. Your girlfriend, Phoebe. Remember?" Paige said.

Cole shrugged. "Yes, see, the problem with Phoebe is she's so obsessed with training, she's not interested in—romance anymore."

"That's not true. I—I mean, she—" Paige rambled searching for the right words.

"You on the other hand, strike me as being full of passion. Desire. I miss that," Cole said..

"I gotta go," Paige said as Cole kissed her. "

Just at that moment Phoebe and Chloe came down the stairs. "Hey!" Phoebe said as she moved beside her sister.

"How could you do this to me?" Paige asked.

Cole puts up his hands innocently. "Oh, come on. I'm just trying to have a little fun, Phoebe. Isn't that what you were complaining about me not doing?"

"Yeah, but I never meant for... did you just call me Phoebe?" Paige said. She looked toward Chloe.

"He figured it out on his own," Chloe said. "Though he had hella had some help from Paige. Max and I on the other hand figured it out earlier when Piper was talking to use and Paige, thinking Paige of course was you."

"How did you figure it out, Cole?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, for one thing you suck at levitating," Cole replied. "And for another, you set me straight about the way I've been treating the real Phoebe as only a sister could. It didn't hurt that Chloe confirmed it though."

"You did?" Paige asked looking at Phoebe.

Phoebe nodded. "Someone had to."

"Okay, I'm going to go," Cole said. "Let you guys work this out. When you're yourself again, give me a call." He looked toward Chloe. "When you are ready for your next lesson …"

"I'll let ya know," Chloe said.

Cole slapped Paige on her rear lightly. "We'll have some fun," he said as Phoebe looked away slightly in disgust as he shimmered out.

"Okay, we've got to get back into our own bodies," Paige said. "I am even getting confused."

"Max! Piper! Look out!" An-Ling yelled from the kitchen.

Chloe turned and ran followed closely behind by Paige and Phoebe. They found Yen-Lo attacking Max, Piper and An-Ling in the kitchen.

"The dragon blade?" Yen-Lo said as An-Ling pulled out the dragon blade. He attacked and cut her.

"Phoebe, stop him!" Piper said as Yen-Lo cut An-Ling and she dropped the dragon blade.

Phoebe jumped up into the air as she began levitating and started spinning in a circle. Yen-Lo grabbed the dragon blade and escaped through the dishwater in the sink as Paige helped Phoebe down.

"Leo!" Piper said as Leo orbed in. "An-Ling's hurt." She pointed at Paige and Phoebe. "You two, follow me!" She turned and walked out of the kitchen followed by Phoebe, Paige, Max and Chloe.

"All right!" Piper said as they walked into the conservatory. "What the hell is going on?"

"I was soaking some potion pots in the sink and I forgot to drain them." Paige said.

Piper sighed. "That is not what I mean. I smell something witchy. Phoebe, what is wrong with your powers?" she asked. She waited for a response but no one responded. "Phoebe?"

"I'm over here," Paige said.

"Don't get mad at her. This is all my fault." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, but Paige, I agreed to keep it secret." Paige said.

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, but I was the one that messed up the potion. I wasn't concentrating. I just guessed. You tried to stop me, remember."

"Don't look at me," Max said with a sigh. "I was talking to Leo remember? I didn't find out till Phoebe went on Paige's date. And at the time I was dealing with my own shit, so I agreed to keep quiet."

"What Max decides I stick by her," Chloe said as she slipped an arm around Max.

"Oh, my god!" Piper said as she looked to Phoebe and Paige. "You two switched bodies! Are you out of your minds? What—with everything we have going on, you pull a stunt like this?"

"It was an accident, Piper," Paige said.

"Accidents like that get people killed," Piper said. "We could have lost an innocent in there. What if it wasn't Yen-Lo? What if it was the Source that broke in? You could have gotten us all killed! Now we've lost our shot at Yen-Lo. We have no idea how to get to Limbo." She thought for a moment and pointed at Phoebe. "Wait a minute. Do, you remember what you put in that potion to switch bodies?"

Phoebe nodded. "Phoebe just picked up the ingredient we were missing."

"Good. Let's go." Piper said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max, Chloe, Piper, Leo, and An-Ling watched as Phoebe and Paige put together the potion.

Piper looked at Paige. "All right, what else did you…?" she said before realizing she was talking to the wrong person. She looked at Phoebe. "I mean you, put in this."

"Just the powdered toadstool." Phoebe said.

"All right soul sisters, back in your own bodies," Piper said

"I want to be me again." Phoebe and Paige as they threw in powdered toadstool into the pot.

Max, Chloe Piper, Leo and An-Ling watched and waited anxiously.

"Oh, it's nice to see you, Paige," Phoebe said.

Paige smiled. "And it's nice to be seen. My god, what did you have for dinner?"

"Kung Pao Chicken. Sorry." Phoebe said.

"Okay. Not to cut this reunion short, but we don't have a lot of time." Piper said. "The only person who knows how to enter Limbo is in Limbo himself. And since we can't get to An-Ling's father down there, my plan is to bring him up here. Or at least his soul."

"Wait, you want to swap souls with An-Ling's father?" Chloe asked. "That is hella awesome sauce, Piper. It might just work since he knows how to get in right?"

"Right," Piper said. "Also it's as Chloe would put it, a hella good way to surprise Yen-Lo."

Leo shook his head, he didn't like the plan. "It's too risky. There's gotta be another way."

"Did the Elders have any other ideas?" Piper asked.

"No." Leo said.

"Then there's not. Okay." Piper said as she took powdered toadstool and threw it into the pot. "I want to be the Zen Master."

"You have a very brave mother," Piper said before looking at Max, "and aunt."

"Father?" An-Ling asked.

Piper nodded. "Yes, An-Ling I'm here. We don't have much time. Where is the dragon blade?"

"I used it to fight Yen-Lo, but he knocked it out of my hands. Phoebe, did you pick it up?" An-Ling asked.

Phoebe shook her head. "No. Paige? Max? Chloe?"

"I haven't seen it." Paige said.

"Neither have I." Max and Chloe said.

Piper frowned. "Then who has the dragon blade?"

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Chloe, Max, Phoebe and Paige walked into the attic after searching the entire house for the dragon blade, they had only found its sheath.

"This is all we could find." Phoebe said as she held up the sheath.

"Then Yen-Lo must have the dragon blade," Piper said as she waved her hand over a puddle of water. "And used it to capture Piper's soul."

"What does that mean?" Max asked. "How do we get Aunt Piper back?"

"We need to get the dragon blade away from Yen-Lo." An-Ling said.

"Okay, so what are we waiting for? Show us the way." Phoebe said.

"I should go alone. Piper did this for me to save my father's life." An-Ling said as Piper looked at her curiously.

"No, she's our sister, Phoebe and I will go," Paige said.

"You are not leaving me here," Max said. "Piper after all is my aunt as much as she is your sister."

"Alright," Paige and Phoebe agreed.

"Is that what you were fighting to save? My life?" Piper asked An-Ling.

"Of course, father. When we bring you back their Whitelighter can heal your wound. He's a miracle worker. I've seen him." An-Ling said.

"You are right. We should all go, but it is a different realm down there with new rules. Yen-Lo has had time to learn and adjust." Piper said.

"Fine, then let's go." Leo said.

"If you go, you risk being pulled into the vortex. Who would heal our injuries?" Piper said.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "He is right, Leo. You should stay here," she said.

"I'll stay too," Chloe said a little disappointed at being left behind. She and Leo watched Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Max and An-Ling jump into a puddle of water in the corner of the attic.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Piper!" Phoebe said as they arrived in Limbo. They found it to be a barren landscape with a vortex at one end. Max, Phoebe and Paige rushed over to the Zen Master's body.

"The dragon blade. Where is it?" Max wondered.

"Quiet." Piper said.

"Look out!" Phoebe called out as Yen-Lo attacked kicking Piper back toward the edge of the vortex.

"Father!" An-Ling called out. She rushed to Piper.

"Welcome to my turf." Yen-Lo said.

"Look! Yen-Lo's belt." Paige said as she pointed to the dragon blade and it orbed into her hand. "I didn't even call for it. It just happened."

"Our powers must be expanded here." Phoebe said. "You get Piper's soul out of the dragon blade." She looked to Max. "I'm going to keep Yen-Lo busy. If he should get by me though. Bring time to a halt and rewind immediately."

Max nodded. "Will do, and good luck."

"Oh, it's you... black belt Barbie." Yen-Lo said as Phoebe rushed toward him.

"You're going to be sorry you said that." Phoebe said as she levitated and kicked Yen-Lo who flew backwards dropping his sword.

"Max, what do you think I should do?" Paige asked.

"I don't know." Max said. "Maybe orb Aunt Piper's soul?"

Paige nodded as she looked at the dragon blade and orbed Piper's soul out of it. "Now what?" she asked.

"Put it back in the body." Max suggested.

"Thanks for the lift," The Zen Master said as Paige orbed Piper's soul into the Zen Master's body. "Untie me."

Paige untied the Zen Master. "We've got to do something."

"What? I don't have my powers in this body," the Zen Master said. "I have an idea though. Max, it's going to be up to you. Do you think you can do it?"

Max looked at the Zen Master for a moment with confusion before realizing what he was asking. She could bring time to a halt, like she had done with Kate up on the roof of the girl's dormitory at Blackwell, when she had saved Kate's life. Then she would keep time froze long enough to get around behind Yen-Lo to use the dragon blade and capture his soul. "Yeah, I think I can. Aunt Paige, the dragon blade, please."

Paige handed the dragon blade to Max who raised her hand and brought time to a halt.

Max slowly and carefully made her way around Yen-Lo and Phoebe so as not to accidentally knock into them before she was in place. She made her way up to Yen-Lo from behind and then thrust the dragon blade, as time began its march forward, straight into Yen-Lo's back, capturing his soul.

Suddenly everything around them was transformed from the barren landscape to a beautiful garden.

"Oh my god, it's so beautiful. What happened?" Paige asked.

"Beats the hell out of me." Piper said as she walked over to them.

"Piper?" Phoebe and Paige said as Max said, "Aunt Piper?"

Piper smiled. "Yeah it's me."

"The natural order of things has been restored," The Zen Master said as he and An-Ling joined them. "Including our souls."

"But how?" Max wondered.

"This was all a reflection on Yen-Lo's fears. Of a man afraid of crossing over. In truth, this is a peaceful place. Welcoming," the Zen Master said.

"We need to get you home and heal your wound." An-Ling said.

Zen Master shook his head. "No. I was mortally wounded. It is my time to die, to be reborn."

"Their Whitelighter can heal." An-Ling said.

"An-Ling, you know better than to cling to the physical world. The way you clung to my hand on the bridge." Zen Master said.

"But you're my father." An-Ling said.

Zen Master nodded, "I'm no greater or less than anyone facing death. That's the only lesson that keeps you from being a true Zen Master. Death is a part of life. A transition, a rebirth, something that your young friends here have learned recently," he said as Max handed him the dragon blade. "Yes, Yen-Lo must be reborn too. It is the natural order of things." He started to head toward the vortex.

"I love you." An-Ling said.

"And I'll always love you, An-Ling." The Zen Master said as he walked with the dragon blade through the portal, disappearing on the other side.

"Does anyone know how to leave here?" Paige asked.

An-Ling smiled, "I think I know how to do it now." They all join hands in a circle and An-Ling and Phoebe levitate them up.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The next day in a San Francisco Park; Chloe, Max, Piper and Paige walked down a lane of herbs.

"Aloe plant: medical uses," Max said. "Toro herbs: magical herb."

"St. John's Wart: Medicinal herb," Paige said. "Ragged robin: magical herb."

"Cupid's Dart: Strictly aromatic." Max said.

"That one?" Piper asked as she pointed to an herb.

"That is Angelica." Paige said.

"And it's use?" Chloe wondered out of curiosity.

"Um, I think it's used mostly to flavor fish." Paige said as they walked toward Leo and Phoebe who were sitting on a blanket waiting for them.

"They both got every answer right." Piper said as Max and Paige slightly bowed.

"Yeah!" Phoebe said as Chloe, Max, Piper and Paige sat down. "So, uh, what inspired the turn around?"

"Well, I kind of liked the power boost I had in Limbo so it kind of made me want to work harder faster." Paige said.

"Ditto," Max said. "Well to a point anyways. I still have to worry about the rest of school. And I still want time to spend with Chloe."

"Paige, you should follow Max's example and not be a hundred percent in a hurry," Phoebe said. "You want to fight like hell to keep a life separate from magic." Phoebe said.

"Here, here." Piper agreed.

"And having a guy around like Mason is not such a bad thing," Phoebe suggested.

"Well that's too bad. He cancelled on me for tonight," Paige said. "He said I was trying too hard and that I was not comfortable in my own skin."

"So much for impressing the boss, huh?" Leo asked.

Paige nodded, "Well, I can take comfort in the fact that he cancelled on Phoebe and not me." She laughed a little.

"Max, I have a surprise for you," Leo said as white orbing lights appeared next to him and William, Chloe's father appeared.

"Hello, Max," William said.

"William?" Max said as she glanced at Chloe who smiled. She looked at her girlfriend's father.

"Leo?" Piper said.

"I talked to the Elders," Leo said. "They made an exception just this once. Of course Max couldn't see Prue yet, just like the two of you can't. But William, was another matter entirely."

"Especially," William said, "when I am being made Max's Whitelighter."

"What?" Max asked shocked.

William smiled as he pulled Max into an embrace. "That's right, Max. I am to be your Whitelighter that is if you want me to be."

"I do, but …" Max said as she glanced at Chloe.

"Does that mean I can see you too, dad?" Chloe asked.

"Of course," William said with a smile. "But there is a condition. You can't tell your mother or your sisters. They have to be able to continue with their lives."

Chloe nodded. "I understand," she said. She looked at Max. "I'm okay."

"Then I am, too," Max said.

"I am curious," Phoebe said. "Why did they …"

"Make William a Whitelighter?" Leo asked. "Pretty much it was my recommendation, especially with what Max went through back in Arcadia Bay, when she thought she was saving him, only to find out she had condemned Chloe to a slow lingering death instead."


	8. Chapter 7: Size Matters Part 1

**Author's Note:** On my site (address can be found in my profile) I have put up a timeline for this story and its sequel/spin-off (and yes I am going to go ahead and do the the BTVS side of things as well. I am even thinking of giving Dawn the ability to rewind time, though how I would do that I have no idea, maybe it's part of her Key powers? And yes she will be in the story from the beginning.) In the timeline you will see that I have listed 2001 as when Prue, Piper and Phoebe got their powers. Since in Life is Strange Max is 18, I tried to make it so that Prue would not be a child when she had Max (if the timeline had been left alone, she would have been 12 or 13 when she had Max). I still wanted Prue to have Max when she was underage though (16 to be exact, 16 is much more plausible than the 12/13 anyways). Which meant moving the Charmed timeline back to accomplish. Well only the actual seasons of Charmed. The backstory, I.E. when Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige were born is the same still as in canon, but the seasons happen 3 years later than they did in canon. For example season 4, which I am doing right now is set in 2004/2005 instead of 2001/2002. This will also affect the spin-off/sequel. To fit BTVS in, Buffy's birth is set back 8 years from 1981 to 1989. Dawn's on the other hand was actually not moved as far back, from 1987 to 1990. If I give Dawn the rewind power, I wanted her of an age that could actually help Buffy. And of course BTVS will not be set 2001-2008 instead of 1997-2003

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Size Matters Part 1  
**

Max looked at the man that reminded her of the actor who had played Freddy Krueger for seven films. "Where are they!" she yelled at him. She glanced down at her hand that held what looked like a wand before looking back at him. "Tell me where my aunts are! Where my girlfriend is!"

The man smirked but otherwise said nothing.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max bolted straight up as she looked around. For a moment she wondered where she was, before remembering she was at school in class.

 _'That was just like when I had the vision of the tornado,'_ Max thought. _'It was so real. I wonder if like the tornado, it was a premonition? If it was I hope it is one I can prevent.'_

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At P3 Piper talked with a new manager she had hired named Treat.

"White gauze curtains would give this place some flair," Treat said. "You know what I'm saying? Then we'll take out these tables over here. Replace them with mounds of pillows so people can lay back and get comfortable. You look worried, baby girl."

"We–uh–Treat," Piper said slightly uncomfortable. "I know I gave you the authority to make some changes in the club, but I thought they would happen gradually. You know, I don't want to shock the regulars."

"Well, I do. All right?" Treat said. "You're place seems too safe, especially if you want to bring in the younger clientele that you got the permits to allow. Now do you trust me? Do you trust the number one club promoter in all of San Francisco?"

Piper nodded. "Yes, of course…"

"Good. All right, guys. Rip it all out!" Treat said.

"Wait a minute!" Phoebe said as she approached Piper and Treat. "What's going on? That's our table? Who told them that they could rip out our table?"

"I did," Treat said.

"And who are you?" Phoebe wondered.

"Phoebe, this is Treat Taylor," Piper said. "He's the new manager of P3."

I—I—I'm sorry," Phoebe said shocked at that bit of news. "The new what?"

"I just hired him on a trial basis," Piper explained.

"Well, isn't that interesting. I need to talk to you," Phoebe said as she pulled Piper aside.

"You look worried, baby girl," Piper said having noted the worried look her sister had.

"Well, why didn't you tell about this?" Phoebe asked.

"It just happened yesterday," Phoebe said. "Which is why I asked you to come down here today."

"We said we weren't going to do this," Phoebe said.

"Uh, do what?" Piper wondered as she remembered that her sister was supposed to be a silent partner since both Phoebe and Prue had helped her to get the money to open P3 to begin with.

"Make any major changes in our lives," Phoebe said. "All the books caution against it. After you've suffered a major loss. Do not sell the house. Do not get married. Do not quit your job."

"Okay, but like it or not, there's been a lot of changes lately, and this is hardly the biggest," Piper said as they noticed Paige walking towards them.

"Oh, speak of the devil slash whitelighter slash witch," Phoebe said.

"Hi, guys," Paige said with a wave.

"Hi!" Phoebe said.

Paige smiled. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Phoebe shook her head. "No, no we were just talking."

"Well, I have a quick question, but it can wait," Paige said. "Continue."

"I was just explaining to Phoebe that the changes I'm making in the club are not by choice," Piper said. "Well most of them are not by choice, but by necessity. Getting the permits to allow Max and Chloe in here and still sell alcohol is by choice. Anyways P3 has been struggling a little lately and we are now a single salary household, with two teenage girls living with us."

"Oh, we don't have to be. I-I can get a job," Phoebe suggested.

"Uh-huh," Piper said. "And if you could get a part-time entry level job that pays you about two hundred grand a year that would really make a difference. Otherwise, I'd rather you be free for other work."

"About that other work," Paige said, but was otherwise ignored.

"But it's not fair. You shouldn't carry the financial burden," Phoebe said.

"I will worry about the source of our income if you worry about the source of all evil," Piper said.

"Speaking of evil—" Paige said trying to get their attention again.

"Besides, what kind of job would you get?" Piper asked.

"I am a college grad. I am sure I could find something." Phoebe said.

"I found something," Paige said trying yet again to get Piper and Phoebe's attention. This time it finally worked.

"Okay, Paige," Piper said. "What is it?"

"Okay, have you guys ever walked by a house and just, uh, got a really bad creepy feeling from it?" Paige asked. "Okay, on my way to get coffee every morning I walk by this house and I get... this shiver."

"A shiver?" Phoebe asked skeptical.

"Does it mean anything?" Paige wondered.

Piper shrugged. "It's a shiver."

"No, I've always just dismissed it as a bad case of the creeps, but now that I'm a witch..." Paige said. "I don't know. I think it might be something supernatural."

"Well, do you know anything about the house?" Phoebe wondered.

"Just that this cute guy named Finn lives there. We bumped into each other at the grocery store," Paige said. "Flirted a little. Done the are these melons ripe thing, okay."

"Well, that sounds like you have the hots not the creeps," Piper said.

"Well –" Paige said.

"Either way, I think it's a good idea that you stay away from this Finn guy," Phoebe suggested.

"No, I don't get the shiver from him," Paige argued. "Just the house. I think I'm on to something."

"I really think that when you've been a witch for a few months, you'll know the difference between sensing evil and needing a warmer jacket," Piper pointed out.

"So you don't want to check it out?" Paige asked.

Piper shook her head. "Not any time soon."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Chloe?" Max called out as she walked through the front door. She found Leo levitating in the living room. "Uncle Leo?" She watched as he fell to the floor. "Oh, sorry," she said.

"Max," Leo said as he stood up. "I'm okay, what are you doing home from school so early?"

"I had a vision in class," Max said.

"A vision?" Leo said suddenly concerned. "What did you see?"

"I was facing a man, kinda reminded me of the actor who played Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series," Max said. "I was holding what could have been a wand and I was asking him where Piper, Phoebe, Paige and even Chloe are. Where is Chloe by the way?"

"She said something about working on her truck," Leo said. "She might be out in the garage."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Somewhere in San Francisco Chloe drove her truck testing out her repair work when it sputtered and died. She let out a sigh. She looked around and spotted a house and hoped someone was home so she could call Max and see if her girlfriend could come pick her up. She got out of the truck and walked up towards the house and knocked.

"Hello?" a man said as he opened the door.

"Do you have a phone I can use? My truck just broke down," Chloe said, "and I need to call my girlfriend and a tow truck."

"Of course," the man said as he let her into the house before closing the door behind her.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Back at the Manor the front door opened and Paige walked through it into the foyer. "Hello? It anybody home?" she called out.

"In here," Leo called back as Paige joined him and Max. "If you're looking for Phoebe or Piper, they're not here. Phoebe's at a job interview. And Piper is at the club."

"Actually, I was looking for you," Paige said. "Hey, Max."

"Hey, Aunt Paige," Max returned.

"Me?" Leo said. "Why?"

"Well, seeing that you're a Whitelighter and I'm part Whitelighter," Paige said, "I was hoping we could have a Whitelighter to part Whitelighter chat."

"Sure. Of course, sit down," Leo said.

"Maybe I should go check on Chloe?" Max suggested as she stood up.

"That's alright, Max," Leo said. "What Paige asks might be something you might have questions on sometimes yourself, even though you aren't half Whitelighter. Go on Paige."

"So you have the ability to locate your charges, right?" Paige said as she and Max sat down.

"Sometimes," Leo said.

"And if you have a sixth sense for locating good, is it possible that I have one for locating evil?" Paige wondered.

"You think you sensed evil?" Leo asked.

Paige shrugged. "I know it sounds silly, but there's this house that I walk by and I get this really bad feeling from. The problem is that I've already discussed it with Piper and Phoebe and they've dismissed it."

"So you want me to talk to them?" Leo wondered.

"I hate to put you in the middle," Paige said.

"Well, it's part of my job," Leo explained. "Uh, I'll just talk to them when I sense their minds are in the right spot. "

"Thank you," Paige said as she smiled.

"Damn it!" Phoebe said as she walked through the front door.

"Now would not be a good time," Leo said as he, Max and Paige got up and walked toward Phoebe.

"I am only going to say this once," Phoebe said. "The real world better start showing me some respect. Otherwise, I am not going to be saving it every week."

"What happened?" Max wondered.

"I just had the worst job interview for a position that a monkey could fill. Provided that the monkey could explain why it needed flexible work hours. Why aren't you at school?" Phoebe said.

"I had a vision," Max said. "I wanted to talk to Leo, before mentioning it to you or Piper."

Phoebe nodded as she looked at Paige. "Why aren't you at work?"

"I–It's my lunch break. I just –" Paige said trying to come up with an excuse.

"You're not still talking about the creepy house. Are you? Did you find out any new information?" Phoebe said.

"I think it's worth checking out," Leo said. "Especially coupled with the fact that Max had a premonition, which of course could be unrelated, we just don't know."

"Okay," Phoebe said. "Well, let's go. I mean, it's not like I have to be at work or anything."

"Yeah, but I do. Could we meet afterwards?" Paige said. "Like 4? I'll give you the address. I just, uh, need, uh, pen and paper." A pen and paper orbed into her hand. "I love being able to move stuff with my mind. I'll see you there later. Leo, thanks."

"Sure," Leo said.

Paige leaned over and briefly hugged Max. "See ya later, Max."

"Bye Aunt Paige," Max said as Paige left.

"You really think she's on to something?" Phoebe asked. "And that it could be coupled with Max's premonition?"

"Well, the important thing is that Paige does, so I think we should support that," Leo said. "And no I don't believe one hundred percent that it is coupled with Max's premonition. But still it is worth checking out in case it is."

"Okay. Well, then I'll go change into my work clothes and head over there," Phoebe said.

"Maybe I should go with you?" Max suggested. "That way you have access to my rewind in case it is something bad."

"I appreciate that Max," Phoebe said. "But you need to get back to school. Piper is going to be pissed that she went to so much trouble to get you in, and you are ditching when you don't need to be."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Phoebe looked at the truck parked on the street in front of Paige's spooky house and frowned. She walked over to it and looked inside. "Chloe," she said as she recognized the truck. "Where is she and what is she doing here?"

Phoebe looked at the house and walked up to the front door and knocked. No one answered, she started to walk away as the door opened of its own accord.

"Oh, come on, Phoebe. Show a little spine," Phoebe said. "Especially if Chloe is here. Max would kill me if anything happened to Chloe and I did nothing to help her." She quietly entered the house and looked around. "Hello? Anybody home?" She noticed a collection of little dolls with looks of horror on their faces. She picked up one and received a premonition of a woman being encased in clay forever. She dropped the doll in shock.

"No!" said as man as he used his wand to shrink Phoebe.

"Uh-oh!" Phoebe said as she ran away and hid under a table by one of the table legs.

"Where are you?" he asked. "You can't have gone that far."

"Leo. Leo. Oh!" Phoebe whispered as the man saw her running across the floor to the couch.

"I see you," he said as Phoebe levitated out of his reach. "Well, you little witch. We'll see how long you last."

"Oh, this sucks," Phoebe said as she watched him get a vacuum cleaner.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"I can't get used to this orbing thing," Paige said as she and Leo orbed into the back office of P3.

"You will. You've got in you," Leo said as they walked out of the office and toward Piper.

"I feel like my stomach's going to come out of me," Paige said as they noticed all the white gauze all over the place.

"Uh, what's with the white gauze?" Leo asked. "It's worse than up there."

"It was Treat's idea. What are you guys doing here?" Piper wondered.

"We orbed in," Paige answered.

"Together?" Piper asked.

Paige nodded. "Yeah, well we were worried about Phoebe. She was supposed to meet me at the creepy house, but she never showed so I thought maybe she got hung up. So I went to your place—"

"Um, I thought we decided not to investigate the so-called creepy house," Piper said with a shake of her head.

"Well, I know you didn't think it was anything, but Leo..." Paige argued in her own defense.

"Oh, so you went behind my back and asked Leo," Piper said as she glared at her sister.

"She didn't go behind your back and I'm her Whitelighter, too," Leo said.

Piper nodded. "Uh-hmm, right. Well, it's a smart thing to do as a witch, but an annoying thing to do as a sister. So what happened to Phoebe?"

"I don't know. I checked my radar, but she dropped to the tiniest blip," Leo said.

"And what would account for that?" Piper wondered.

Leo shrugged, he didn't know. "I don't know, but I don't like it. Especially after Max's premonition," he said as Piper looked at him. "She had a premonition of a man and her questioning him on where you, Phoebe, Paige and Chloe were."

"Well, then we should probably get over there," Piper said.

"See, I told you something was going on in that house," Paige said excitedly.

"Uh-huh, okay. Let's hold the congratulations till we find Phoebe," Piper said as some workmen demolished the P3 sign.

"Piper?" Leo said worried.

Piper sighed. "Doesn't matter. P3 doesn't exist anymore."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At the creepy house Phoebe grabbed onto the couch for dear life as the man tried to suck her into the vacuum cleaner.

"Watch out!" the man said as another man, the one who had let Chloe in to use the phone and the one Paige met at the market, Finn, walked through the door. "One's loose! Shut the door. Shut it!"

"What are you going to do with her when you find her?" Finn said.

"Don't ask questions," said the man.

"The same thing you did with the other one?" Finn said as the man shut off the vacuum cleaner.

"I said don't ask questions," said the man. "The other one. Still, that... that gives me an idea." He walked and took a woman covered in clay out of a cabinet.

Phoebe instantly recognized the miniature woman, even with the fact she was covered in clay. "Chloe," she whispered as she realized that like herself Chloe had been shrunk.

"Do you want me to—" Finn said.

The man shook his head. "Shh."

"The door is still open," Finn said.

"Shut it!" said the man as Finn did as he was told.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Outside Piper, Paige and Leo sat in Piper's jeep.

"There it is. See? Oh, shiver," Paige said.

"Well, uh, Paige you don't have to be a super witch to know that house is creepy," Piper said. She then noticed a truck just down the street. "Leo, isn't that Chloe's truck?"

Leo followed Piper's gaze and then nodded. "It looks like it," he said.

"How did you miss that?" Piper asked looking at Paige.

"Uh, because I've only seen Chloe's truck a handful of time," Paige said. "Most of the time it sits in your garage while she works on it."

"There is a motorcycle in the driveway," Leo said as he glanced back toward the creepy house. "Somebody's home."

"Okay, so I say we go up to the front door. You knock and I will freeze," Piper suggested as she looked at her husband.

"You don't always have control over your powers," Leo argued. "You might be blowing up an innocent."

"Okay, so how about you orb in, check out the place, and tell us what we're up against," Piper suggested.

"I have an idea –" Paige said, but like earlier that day she went unnoticed..

"Well, the problem with that is what if what we're dealing with is not supernatural," Leo said. "Then I've orbed into somebody's living room and we've risked exposure."

"I mean if I just –" Paige tried again.

"This is why I say we go with the freeze," Piper argued.

"I can get Finn out of the house," Paige said a little forcefully.

"How?" Piper asked.

"Well, I know the guy," Paige said. "I'll just go in, lure him out, and you can go in and snoop around. "

Piper shook her head. "No. We can't let you go off with a potential demon. It's too dangerous. Right, Leo?"

"Actually, it sounds like our best bet,' Leo said. "Unless you want me to go get Max?"

"No," Piper said. "We need to not rely on Max's powers to rewind or even halt time, just because we get into a sticky situation. Anyways are you siding with Paige now?"

"Hey, there are no sides. And, yes," Leo said.

"Huh!" Piper said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At the Manor Max sat in her room on the bed trying to do her homework and sighed. Her vision had been bothering her all day. "Leo?" she called out. She frowned when Leo didn't orb in. "William?"

William orbed in, in front of her. "Hey, Max. What is it?"

"I just called for Leo, but he didn't come," Max said. "And after a vision I had today, I'm hella worried."

William laughed. "Chloe is rubbing off on you I see. I will see if I can find out, okay," he said as he orbed out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Do not go into that house," Piper said as she and Leo watched Paige, who had managed to convince them she could get Finn out of the house. "Did you hear me?" It appeared to them that Paige was about to go inside instead of getting Finn out.

"William?" Leo said as William orbed into the back seat.

"Max was worried when you didn't answer her call," William said.

Leo sighed and nodded. "Go tell her everything is alright. Tell her that we're checking out her vision and Paige's feelings on the so called creepy house."

"Is that Chloe's truck?" William said as he spotted the truck parked down the street.

"We think so," Piper said.

"What is she doing here?" William wondered.

"She told me she earlier that she would be in the garage working on it," Leo said. "It's possible she thought it was fixed and took it out for a test drive. It might have broke down here."

"That is one hell of a coincidence," William said.

"Agreed," Leo said. "But coupled with Max's premonition, it doesn't surprise me."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Inside the house Phoebe levitated up to Chloe. "Whoo!" she said. "That's one good thing about being so small. I'm so light I can kind of fly. Chloe, can you talk?" she asked but received only a mumbled reply in answer. "Okay. Just close your eyes and don't tense up." She kicked and broke the clay surrounding her niece's girlfriend. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe replied.

"Okay, we have to run," Phoebe said. "Can you do that?"

Chloe smiled. "I could hella run all day."

"We got to go before Gammill sees us," Phoebe said.

Just then the man, Gammill, came up quickly upon them and slammed down a can over them.

"Gotcha," Gammill said. "I knew a witch could never resist saving an innocent."


	9. Chapter 8: Size Matters Part 2

**Chapter 8: Size Matters Part 2  
**

Max looked at Gammill. "Where are they!" she yelled at him. She glanced down at her hand that held the wand before looking back at him. "Tell me where my aunts are! Where my girlfriend is!"

The man smirked but otherwise said nothing.

And then Max fired the wand at Gammill and shrunk him.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max sat straight up on the bed and looked around for a moment trying to place where she was before remembering she was in hers and Chloe's room at the Manor. "Not another one," she said as William orbed in. "Well?"

"Their checking on Paige's creepy house and your premonition," William said.

"I should be there," Max said as she abruptly stood up and reached for her car keys to Prue's car, which Piper and Phoebe had given her a few days before. Then she remembered she didn't know where the house was. "William, I need you to orb me to them."

"No," William said. "They can do this on their own. They need to not get used to have you available to rewind, just as Chloe needs to not rely on that ability as well."

"William, my vision showed Aunt Piper, Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Paige and Chloe missing," Max said. "If I'm not there how can I make sure that doesn't happen?"

"It is possible your vision is telling you how to find them," William said. "This could be what is needed for everyone. To see that they need you, but also to not have to rely on you being there at the same time."

Max sighed. "I hope you are right about this. My visions have yet to show me where they are, only this man I keep interrogating."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"The lure worked," Leo said as he and Piper watched Paige and Finn ride off on his motorcycle.

"Barely," Piper said.

Inside the house Gammill walked over to Phoebe and Chloe. "Now where were we?" he said as Leo and Piper orbed in. He quickly hid before he could be discovered.

"Piper! Piper!" Phoebe and Chloe said unable to be heard because of how small they were.

"You go that way," Piper said as she motioned toward the other end of the room. "I'll go this way." She looked around and found a collection of small dolls. "Oh, weird."

"What a bizarre collection," Leo said as he came up beside Piper. "I wouldn't touch. We should look for Phoebe and Chloe. I'll check upstairs." He headed upstairs but was back in under a minute. "There's nothing upstairs. I mean nothing. Anything down here?"

Piper shook her head. "No, nothing but a bunch of clays."

"I think we should get out of here," Leo said. "Check the Book of Shadows. I—I want to know what we're dealing with."

"Well, whatever it is it better not require the Power of Three to vanquish it," Piper sighed as Leo orbed them out.

"Well, well the Power of Three," Gammill said as he came out of hiding. "So you're not just a witch, but a Charmed One. Nothing will make happier than to collect you all." He then proceeded to encase Phoebe and Chloe in clay. "When your clay hardens, I'll fire up the kiln and once you're in the kiln, there'll be nothing left to save. Don't worry. I'll be back. Once I complete my collection." He turned and left.

"I have to say, Phoebe, I am hella scared," Chloe said.

"I know," Phoebe said. "So am I. I'm hoping though, now that he's gone, I can focus on getting us out of here. Although, I do have to tell you I am not having the best day of my life."

"Didn't get the job?" Chloe said as Phoebe nodded. "Sorry to hear that, Phoebe."

"Thanks,: Phoebe said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"What are you two not telling me?" Max asked as she looked at Leo and Piper, who had returned and had headed straight up to the attic. They had briefly filled her in, though they had not mentioned anything about finding Chloe's truck at the creepy house.

"Found him! Gammill," Leo said, "a.k.a. The Collector. He's known for his passion of collecting one of a kind figurines. Wonder what he gets out of that?"

Max looked at the page on Gammill and her eyes went wide. "This is the guy from my vision," she said pointing at one of two pictures. She looked toward her aunt and uncle. "What you're not telling me is that he might already have Chloe?"

Piper sighed. "Yes," she said. "Along with Phoebe. We found Chloe's truck outside the creepy house when we there to find Phoebe. We're going to find her, don't worry."

Max sighed as she held up a photo she had taken that morning. "I can warn them," she said.

"No," Leo said. "As William told you, we can't rely on your power to undo every mistake we might make. How else are we going to learn and grow? If you are constantly saving us, then we can't."

"Then let me help save Chloe and Aunt Phoebe," Max said, "please."

"You will stay where Leo can find you," Piper said. "If he feels we need your help. He will come get you, okay? I hope it don't come to that. But your rewind power could be what saves us, that is true. But we should be using it as a last resort."

"Hmm this is interesting," Leo said. "Max you say this is the guy you see in your premonition?" he pointed at the image of an older man.

"Yes," Max said as she looked at the image.

"And this is the one we saw Paige ride off with," Leo said as he pointed toward the image of a younger man.

"How is that possible?" Piper asked. "Can he shapeshift?"

Leo looked at the book. "According to the book, no. Apparently he went up against a witch sometime in the seventies. A spell was cast to make him as hideous on the outside as he was on the inside."

"Yet, we saw the other," Piper shook her head. "This doesn't make sense. Unless he found a way to break the curse and changed his name to Finn?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm guessing whoever the guy Paige is with does."

"Well, then we need to find Paige and hope that she's not in trouble so we can find Phoebe and Chloe and hope that they're not in trouble," Piper said.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about Paige," Leo said. "I mean she's in a public place. Nobody's going to hurt her at The Spot."

"The Spot?" Max asked.

"P3's new name, Treat—the new manager's idea," Piper said with a sigh. She had a better name in mind, a name that would honor all of her family. Of course that name like the old would probably not jive with her new manager.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

After Leo and Piper had left Max paced her room waiting for William to orb in.

"What is it Max?" William asked as he orbed in.

"Where is Chloe?" Max said.

William sighed. "I don't know. I know where her truck is, but I'm not orbing you there."

"Fine, just give me the address," Max said. "I am going to find it, with or without your help. With I might be able to save everyone, now. Without there is no guarantee. Do you really want Chloe to die, because I did nothing or I didn't get there in time?"

William sighed again as he looked at the bed where Max's homework still lay. He held out his hand and a piece of notebook paper orbed into it. He wrote down the address. "Be careful, Max," he said. "You are like one of my own daughters. I don't want to lose you either."

"I will be careful, promise," Max said as she took the paper from William.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper and Phoebe orbed in outside Paige's apartment. They had checked P3 or as it was now called The Spot and found that Paige had left. They burst into the apartment and found Paige kneeling in front of Finn.

"Paige!" Piper said.

"What are you doing here?" Paige asked startled.

"This is ridiculous. It's like dealing with a teenager," Piper said.

"I'm just examining him," Paige tried to explain.

"Okay! First of all, you should not have left the club," Piper said ignoring Paige once again.

"Piper –"

"Second of all, you should not be playing doctor with the demon boy," Piper continued.

"Piper –"

"Third of all –"

"Piper!" Paige interrupted. "He has no bellybutton. I can explain. First of all, we left your club because it sucks now. Okay, anytime you try to be that hip. It ain't hip. And second of all, Finn has no bellybutton because he wasn't born."

"I was created out of clay," Finn said.

"In Gammill's own image," Leo said realizing why Max's vision showed one person and he and Piper had seen another leave with Paige. "He must be a golem."

"I don't know the technical term," Paige explained, "but I do know that he needs protection from the demon that made him."

"Okay. Hold up! Where is Gammill now?" Piper asked.

"At the house, I think," Finn said.

"We were just there," Leo explained. "We didn't see him."

"That's because he has his own secret hiding place," Finn said.

"Could he be hiding our sister Phoebe there?" Piper wondered. "And our friend Chloe?"

Finn shook his head. "No, he probably shrunk them."

"I'm sorry," Piper said confused. "He probably what?"

"Oh, that's what he does," Finn said. "He takes his wand and shrinks the women for his collection."

"Oh god. The figurines, that's why they're each one of a kind," Piper said as she realized what Gammill was likely doing to Phoebe and Chloe. "Okay, we have to get back there. We have to find Phoebe and Chloe."

"Careful," Finn said. "If Gammill's at the house waiting for you, he'll shrink you all. I don't know why he didn't before."

"Does he still trust you?" Piper asked.

Finn nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, then you come with us. You go in first and distract him," Piper said.

Paige was immediately against that suggestion. "No, Piper we can't use Finn as a minesweeper. And besides, isn't he an innocent?"

"Actually, Paige innocents tend to be real," Piper argued.

"Listen. We have to go get Phoebe and Chloe," Paige said. "First, we should go by your house, check the Book of Shadows to see if there's a spell to undo shrinking. We'll bring Finn with us."

"We don't have time for that," Piper argued.

"Well, we can't go in there unprepared," Paige said.

"Unprepared might be our best shot right now. Leo, what do you think?" Piper asked.

Leo sighed. "I think you need to stop turning to me. Start trying to figure out a way to listen to each other. Piper, you don't listen to Paige's ideas," he said as Paige smiled. "And Paige, you don't listen to Piper's advice. I think you guys need to figure out a way how to work as partners. Oh and Piper, while I do agree you shouldn't rely on Max's powers. You also should be working with her as a partner also, especially since Chloe is on the line."

"We're partners," Piper said. "And so are Max and us."

"Equal partners," Leo said.

"Well, listen. Can we do that tomorrow? Right now we actually need your help," Paige said.

Leo smiled. "All right, well I think the best that I can help is by this," he said as he orbed out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Outside the creepy house Max pulled her car in behind Chloe's truck. She got out and raced to the truck and threw the door open. She found the spare keys that Chloe always hid under the dash and got in. She tried to start the engine and found it wouldn't start. She sighed and glanced toward the creepy house.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Paige, Piper and Finn walked through the front door of the Manor at almost the same time Max was trying to start Chloe's truck. Paige and Piper had tossed a coin to determine where they were going, the Manor or the creepy house.

"It's okay," Paige said. "You'll be safe here."

"Can I get a glass of water?" Finn asked. "My skin feels a little dry."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Uh, the kitchen's just down there to the left," Paige said as Finn started for the kitchen. Suddenly Gammill appeared out of nowhere and shattered Finn with his wand before shrinking Piper and Paige.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max got out of Chloe's truck and headed for the front door just as William orbed in. "What?" she asked.

"Leo sent me," he said. "Piper and Paige have become just like Phoebe. He's having trouble sensing their location."

Max looked at the house. "How long ago?"

"A few minutes," William said. "Long enough that Gammill might have teleported back here. Max be careful, he may be in there waiting for you."

"I intend to be," Max said as she stretched out her hand and brought time to a halt. She made her way into the house slowly as she concentrated on keeping time stopped. She found Gammill frozen near an oven, his wand lying on a table. She picked up the wand and let time move forward again.

"Where are my aunts and my girlfriend?" Max said as she pointed the wand at Gammill.

"You won't use that," Gammill said with a bitter laugh.

"Tell me," Max yelled.

Gammill smirked but otherwise said nothing.

Max pushed what looked like a button and shrunk Gammill. She picked him up and held him in her fist. "Last chance," she said. "Or I will throw you into the oven."

Gammill kept quiet, he didn't think Max had what it took to cook him alive. She surprised him though by throwing him in the oven and turning the oven temperature all the way up. She heard a scream from within and then nothing.

Max turned at the sound of a shelf collapsing behind her. She saw her aunts and Chloe returning to their normal height.

"You are hella awesome sauce," Chloe said as she embraced Max.

"Yes, you are," Piper agreed as joined in on the embrace with Chloe.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The night at P3 or as it was now known The Spot. Chloe and Max sat listening with Piper, Phoebe and Paige to David Navarro. Piper had informed her niece and Chloe that she had acquired permits that would allow them and others under twenty one to enter and allow her to still serve alcohol.

"What do you guys think of the Spot?" Piper asked as Leo walked up to them.

"Well, the club scored David Nararro. That's pretty impressive," Phoebe said.

"I still can't get used to the white gauze," Leo said as he sat down.

"Well, you don't have to. I told Treat that I just–I can't do it," Piper said. "Paige is right. It's trying way too hard to be hip. Which means it is five minutes away from being five minutes ago."

"Okay! To the old!" Phoebe said as Paige looked down at the floor.

"What's wrong, Aunt Paige?" Max asked.

"The last time I was here, I was here with Finn," Paige said. "How do you guys get over these things?"

"You don't," Phoebe said.

"But you learn with experience that you can't dwell on the losses," Piper added. "You kind of have to –"

"Harden your heart," Paige said.

Max sighed as she thought about those that died, that she and Chloe had not saved in Arcadia Bay. "Protect your heart."

"Unfortunately, it's a fact of our lives that sometimes the good comes with a little sadness," Piper said as she glanced at her niece and smiled.

"There was a lot of good, too," Leo said.

"There was a lot of good," Phoebe said. "I mean my skin looks fabulous."

"And now that I've been five inches tall, I will never complain about my height," Chloe said with a laugh.

"And I will never doubt your instincts again," Piper said as she looked at Paige. She then looked at Max. "Or treat you like you are fragile. I'm sorry, Max. At first I agreed with Leo about not wanting to rely on your powers to save us. But in the end, I at least had to give you the chance to save us, if that is what it took to defeat Gammill. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along."

Max smiled. "That's hella okay, Aunt Piper," she said.

"Okay, well then there's just one more thing that we need to tie up," Leo said as they got up and led them out the back door of the club.

"Uh, Leo what are you looking for?" Phoebe wondered.

"Something very important," Leo said.

"Broken glass?" Paige asked.

Leo nodded. "Broken glass that needs healing," he said as he found the broken P3 sign. "Here it is. It's up to you."

Piper looked at the sign and thought back on the name for the club she had thought of proposing to Treat. She whispered into Leo's ear and he smiled and nodded.

Leo held out his hands and they watched as the sign began to not only heal itself but twist into a new design before it began to glow.

"P3 to the Max," Piper said, "is open for business."

"Wowser," Chloe said.

Max looked at the sign and smiled as she pulled Piper into an embrace. "Thank you," she said.


	10. Chapter 9: A Knight to Remember Part 1

**Author's Note:** In this chapter (and in Chapter 10: A Knight to Remember Part 2) you will notice that Chloe is absent. In fact in the beginning of the chapter, Chloe will mention she is going to L.A. to see her family. This and Chapter 10 take place during the events of the 1992 Buffy movie (I am going to try and make it line up with Joss's original script, not the actual movie as there were differences between the two and Joss's original script is what is considered too a degree canon in the series, not the movie) and will be the prologue chapter(s) of the spin-off/sequel.

* * *

 **Chapter 9: A Knight to Remember Part 1**

Piper stood at the counter making a cup of coffee, she looked up when she heard footsteps enter the kitchen and found they belonged to Phoebe, Chloe and Max. The first thing Piper noticed was what Chloe and Max were wearing. Max had Prue's nameplate necklace on and Chloe wore Prue's leather jacket.

"Look at me," Phoebe said as Piper looked at her and sat that she had hair head wrapped in a towel. "I look like a drowned rat. I need my blow dryer."

"Pretend you're camping," Max suggested.

Phoebe sighed. "I hate camping."

"Well, I hate instant coffee but I'm drinking it, aren't I?" Piper said as she took a sip and frowned.

"We hella can't keep living with no electricity," Chloe said, they noticed her blue hair was beginning to turn back to its natural brunette. "Yeah I need to dye it again. But as long as the demon is around, I'm afraid to try."

"Well at least we're conserving energy," Piper said with a nod.

"Well, this is ridiculous. We have to figure out when the Shocker demon's gonna attack next and fast," Phoebe said.

"That part will be easy," Max said. "I can live the day and then jump back and give you all the times. Then you can call Paige and get her over here."

"Yeah unfortunately, Paige lives across town," Piper said

"I am going to call her," Phoebe said picking up the cordless phone.

"Not the cordless!" Piper yelled as Phoebe dropped the phone and the Shocker demon appeared.

Max held out her hand and rewound time.

"Yeah unfortunately, Paige lives across town," Piper said when time began moving forward again.

Max grabbed Phoebe's hand as her aunt reached for the phone. "Shocker demon will escape."

Phoebe looked to her niece and nodded as she backed away from the cordless. "Thanks for the rewind, Max," she said.

"No problem," Max replied.

Phoebe looked at her sister. "This is crazy, you know. We have to call Paige and set up a time where she can come over and…"

"Phoebe, we can't schedule vanquishes, okay? Despite Max's rewind power." Piper said. "Demon attacks don't usually fit into the day planners. Plus your suggestion Max while nice, wouldn't work. All it would take is one change, and everything else from then on could change as well. You know that."

Max sighed. "I know."

"Well what do you suggest then?" Phoebe wondered.

"I suggest that maybe, Paige move in with us," Piper said as she sat down at the table.

"Wait," Phoebe said as she, Max and Chloe sat at the table. "W—what did you just say?

"Well, she's gonna have to sooner or later, isn't she?" Piper questioned.

Phoebe shrugged. "I never really thought about it. And I can't believe you, of all people, are actually suggesting it."

"I am just trying to be practical. Besides, I am sick and tired of Leo watching over her day and night, protecting her from various demons. You know, I would actually like to see my husband again," Piper said.

"And I can understand that, but still that's a huge decision. Do you think we're ready for that?" Phoebe said.

"All I know is that every demon who is out to impress the Source is attacking us," Piper said. "Which means we all need to be under one roof. Otherwise, we're too vulnerable."

"I didn't mean are we ready as witches. I meant are we ready as sisters? I mean, what if we don't get along?" Phoebe asked.

"It's working out alright with Max and Chloe," Piper reminded her sister.

"That's a little different, you know that, right?" Phoebe asked. "Max is after all Prue's daughter. We would be bad aunts if we turned her away now wouldn't we."

"Hey," Max said. "It wasn't only your decision, remember. Chloe and I had to agree also."

"True," Phoebe said. "But where else were you going to go?"

"Maybe back to Seattle to Max's folks," Chloe suggested. "Or to L.A. to my mom, David and my sisters. Talking about L.A., I better get on the road. Mom is expecting me for dinner."

"Have a safe trip," Piper said.

"Tell everyone I said hi," Max said as she kissed Chloe.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max stood back watching as Piper and Phoebe walked up to the front door of Paige's apartment. She couldn't believe her aunts wanted to push the fact that Paige move in when there were no available rooms. They needed to discuss that issue before approaching Paige, or at least that was what Max thought.

"Oh!" Phoebe said as Leo orbed in between her and the door.

"Hi," Leo said, "what's up?"

"What's up?" Piper asked. "How about a kiss for your long-lost wife, huh?"

"Oh, right," Leo said sheepishly as he kissed Piper on the cheek.

"Hi," Max said as she waved at Leo.

"Hey Max," Leo said as he hugged his niece. He looked around for Chloe since he knew Max's girlfriend rarely left Max's side. "Where's Chloe?"

"On her way to L.A., remember?" Max said.

"To see her family," Leo said as he did remember. "Well, uh, bye."

"Uh, what do you mean bye?" Phoebe asked. "We just got here."

"Right, well, you know. I don't want to leave Paige unprotected," Leo said.

"Uh-huh. Is she home?" Piper said as she moved to step around Leo.

"Yeah, she's home," Leo said as he rested an hand on his wife's arm. "She's just a little, uh, indisposed at the moment."

"W—wait, wait, you watched?" Piper asked shocked that Leo would even watch Paige that closely. "What are you, like a peeping angel?"

Leo scrambled for an explanation before Piper could get angry at him. "Well, I didn't see anything!"

"Uh?" Piper said, she didn't believe him, well at least not one hundred percent.

"All right, just a little, but how else am I supposed to protect her?" Leo asked.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Inside Paige's apartment, Paige and Glen, a friend of Paige's were making out on the bed. Suddenly the door banged open and Phoebe barged in, covering her eyes followed by Piper, Leo and Max. Paige jumped up and covered herself with the sheet from said bed.

"Sorry to interrupt," Phoebe said. "Can't see a thing."

"Phoebe!" Piper said while Max said, "Aunt Phoebe!"

"Wh—" Phoebe said with a glance her sister and niece.

"Max, Piper, Leo, what the hell is going on?" Paige wondered.

"Sorry," Max said as she held and touched Paige's shoulder and proceeded to rewound time.

"How long can you keep time frozen?" Paige asked a few seconds later when she noticed time was no longer being rewound.

"A few minutes," Max replied thinking back to Kate Marsh at Blackwell Academy and her attempt to save Kate from jumping with her power. She had saved Kate but it had not been with her power to stop or even rewind time but with kind words.

"Okay then, what was going on, Max," Paige said.

"To put it bluntly. Aunt Piper and Aunt Phoebe came to ask you to move in with us," Max said. "They're getting tired of being attacked at the Manor and not being able to do anything till you came over. I don't know why Aunt Phoebe barged in though. BTW Uncle Leo has been watching you. He says it was so you don't get attacked."

Paige sighed as she looked at her niece. "Leo has been watching me?"

"He says he didn't see anything," Max said as she glanced toward Glen, "juicy. By the way, you go Aunt Paige, if I swung that way, I would be hella interested in him, he's hot."

Paige blushed. "Okay, let time move forward again. I'll think about it, okay? But here's the thing, where would they put me? They have to think about that too. Last I checked there was only three bedrooms."

Max nodded as she released her hold on Paige and stepped out into the hall and let time move forward again. She stood in front of the door as Piper and Phoebe came up to her. "Uh, Max," Piper said as she glanced behind her, She realized that Max had rewound time.

"Aunt Phoebe barged in. Aunt Paige was indecent, making out with this hella hot guy," Max said. "Talk about embarrassing. I told her why we came over. She said she would think about it. But also said we need to think about where she is going to sleep, since there are only three bedrooms."

"Yeah," Phoebe said. "We didn't think this through much. Paige does have a point on the issue of where she would sleep."

Piper sighed. "I guess you are right."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Later back at the manor Max opened the door to find Paige on the front steps. "You don't have to knock," she said. "You are family after all."

Paige sighed. "Max, that isn't the point. I'm trying to teach Piper and Phoebe a lesson here. That they can't come barging in when they feel like it. Like today, not only was I making out with Glen, but I wasn't exactly decent for company."

"So I noticed," Max said with a small blush. While Paige was her aunt, they were close enough in age, well if you call a ten year gap in age close, that Max could almost forget that Paige was actually her aunt.

"You noticed?" Paige asked confused before realizing what Max was saying. Her arms immediately went to cover her chest, despite the fact that this time she was entirely clothed.

Max laughed. "Eww, Aunt Paige. While yes at times it would be easy to forget you are my aunt and are in fact an extremely attractive woman. I have to remind myself that first you are my aunt and second I'm with Chloe. I'm not about to do anything to hurt Chloe, ever."

Just at that moment Piper and Phoebe walked down the stairs and spotted Max and Paige standing in the foyer.

"Hey, Paige," Phoebe said.

"I'm not here to talk to either of you," Paige said as she glared at her sisters. "Max told me after she rewound us what happened before you guys barged into my apartment. First off right now you have to address the room issue, and two you need to address the privacy issue. Yes, privacy, barging into my room when I was half naked was an invasion of my privacy as well as embarrassing. I'm just glad Glen doesn't remember. Now I'm here to look at the Book of Shadows." She headed up the stairs and to the attic.

Piper, Max and Phoebe found Paige flipping through the Book of Shadows.

"We're not going to push you into making a decision right now," Phoebe said. "But I would like you to consider a couple things about moving in, once we have the room issue …"

"I do have one other objection," Paige interrupted. "Aren't you the one who told me I should fight like hell to keep my life separate from magic?

Piper sighed. "Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way."

"Well, maybe it would if I didn't live here," Paige said with a shrug.

"If you're looking for the Shocker demon spell, we already found it," Phoebe offered.

"I'm not. I'm looking for something else," Paige replied.

"What are you looking for Aunt Paige?" Max wondered. "Aunt Piper has been quizzing me on the book, so I am getting, maybe not good at knowing what is in there, but well…"

"Okay. I know it sounds stupid, but when I was little, I invented this horrible little fairy tale and it just always seemed really real to me. I don't know. Just…" Paige said as she turned to a page with the title that read: The Evil Enchantress. "Oh my God."

"The Evil Enchantress?" Phoebe said as she walked around the book to stand next to Paige.

"That's it," Paige said. "That's—that's the evil witch, the one who kills the Prince after he gets her pregnant, of course."

"Of course," Piper said as she and Max moved to stand next to Paige.

"The spell. I can't believe it," Paige said excitedly as she read the next page. "Bring together my Prince and me, let him fall on bended knee, I summon him to my side, that he may take me to be his destined bride. I finally got to finish it."

"Max rewind!" Piper said.

Before Max could rewind a gust of wind blew through the attic as a man appeared. As he looked around he spotted Paige and knelt before her. "My love," he said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max, Piper and Phoebe followed the man, who they had figured out was the Prince from Paige's spell, as he chased Paige through the house. "Why do you run from me?" he asked.

"Why are you chasing me?" Paige wondered.

"Because we are meant to be together," he replied.

"That is not true," Paige said. "Does this look like King Arthur's court, buddy?"

"It doesn't matter," the Prince answered. "We're meant to conceive an heir, my love."

"Ugh," Paige said with a sigh. "Stop saying that."

"You guys want some privacy?" Phoebe asked half serious, half joking.

"This is not funny," Paige said as the Prince walked toward her. "Plate." A plate orbed into her hand and she broke it over his head causing him to groan slightly in pain. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"You could never hurt me, my love," he said as he started kissing Paige's hand.

"Piper, Max, either of you do something," Paige said.

"I—I don't want to blow him up," Piper said.

"And I can't selectively freeze someone in time," Max replied. "It's not a part of my powers I've learned to do you yet. So if I freeze him, I stop time all together. And I can only keep it stopped for so long."

"Well, either of you please risk it," Paige said. "He's using his tongue."

Piper glanced at Max who waved her hand at her and she nodded. Freezing time would not be the best way to go. Not at least till Max had learned to selectively freeze people in time. She made a gesture and froze the Prince.

Paige pulled her hand away from the Prince and wiped it on her top. "Thank God chivalry is dead. He is getting on my last nerve."

"Okay, well, he must be under some kind of spell," Phoebe suggested.

"Gee, you think?" Piper asked with a roll of her eyes.

"The evil Enchantress," Paige said. "She cast a love spell on him."

"So why has he hella got the hots for you?" Max wondered.

"How should I know?" Paige said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well, because it's your damn fairy tale and it's alive and frozen in our kitchen," Piper said.

"Uh, where are you going?" Phoebe asked as Paige turned and walked out of the kitchen.

"I can't handle this," Paige answered as she headed for the front door.

"Wait, Paige, you can't just leave," Piper said.

"Yes I can. I don't live here," Paige replied.

Phoebe sighed. "Paige."

"What?" Paige asked as she looked at Phoebe and then at Max who shrugged, indicating she didn't know what Phoebe was going to say.

"Look, you can't keep running away from these things," Phoebe said as Paige opened the front door. "That's what we're trying to tell you. Being a witch is not a part-time job."

"Yeah, well, if I don't leave now, I'm not going to have a full-time job," Paige said as she left out the front door.

"Paige, the Charmed Ones come first!" Piper called after her baby sister.

"The Charmed Ones come first?" Max asked with a shake of her head.

"It always worked when your mom said it," Piper explained as they headed into the living room. They found that the TV was on and the VCR was recording. "The VCR? Who set it to record?" She looked at Phoebe and Max, both of whom shook their heads.

Just then the tape ejected and the Shocker demon appeared. Piper tried using her power to scare if off again but missed as she blew up the TV. The demon threw electricity at Piper, knocking her over the couch.

"Aunt Piper!" Max said as she brought time to a halt and quickly rewound it. As time began to move forward again she grabbed Piper and pulled her out of the way of the demon before it could throw electricity at her again.

Phoebe levitated and tried to kick the demon but found it had latched onto her leg as it started to electrocute her.

Max brought time to a stop again and this time grabbed a coat stand and pushed the demon away from Phoebe before letting time resume again. She watched as Phoebe fell to the ground.

Piper tried to startle the demon with her power again and this worked as it entered an electrical outlet. "Phoebe," she said as Max helped Phoebe to her feet.

"I'm okay, I think," Phoebe said.

Piper sighed. "We've gotta convince Paige to move in with us soon before there's nobody left to move in with."

"What about the room situation?" Max asked.

"For now she can sleep with me," Phoebe suggested.

"And what happens when you and Cole want some alone time?" Max asked.

"We'll work something out," Phoebe replied.

"Oh, the Prince," Piper said as Phoebe said, "The Prince."

They rushed into the kitchen to find that the Prince was gone.

"He's gone?" Phoebe said. "What? Did he go back to fairy tale land?"

"No," Max said as she looked at the open back door. "The back door is wide open."

"So he probably went after Paige," Piper said with a nod.

"He left?" Phoebe asked as she got a bottle of water out of the fridge. "So he's just wondering around in chain mail?"

"It's San Francisco. Nobody will notice," Piper offered not that she truly believed that.

"Well, sooner or later, somebody is gonna notice and the medieval trail's going to lead them right back to us," Phoebe said.

"All right, you try scrying for him and if that doesn't work, I'll have Leo orb Paige back here and hopefully the Prince will follow," Piper suggested.

"Maybe we should try a different approach with her," Phoebe said.

"She's not gonna come back here voluntarily," Piper said.

"That's not what Aunt Phoebe means," Max said as she realized that Paige's objections to moving in were really about. "Maybe it's too soon for her too."


	11. Chapter 10: A Knight to Remember Part 2

**Chapter 10: A Knight to Remember Part 2**

Max watched from the couch as Phoebe scryed for the prince. She could tell it was not going well, even though Phoebe had said nothing about it.

"Darryl. Darryl. Darryl!" Piper said as she entered the room talking on the cordless phone. "Slow down. Okay, car jackings happen all the time. Why are you calling us? A garbage truck?" She sat down next to Max. "At sword point. We'll get back to ya."

"The police found him?" Max asked as Piper hung up the phone.

"Not yet," Piper said. "How about you, Phoebe?"

Phoebe sighed. "Nothing. I mean, he's not a witch and he's not a demon, so…"

"All right. Le..!" Piper said as Leo orbed in, "O. Hi."

Leo smiled. "Hi."

"Where's Paige?" Phoebe asked.

"Paige?" Leo said. "She didn't wanna come."

"She what?" Piper asked. "Did you explain the situation to her?"

Leo nodded. "Yes."

"And she still refused to come?" Piper said. "Leo, we are up to our pointy little hats in demonic problems here. We need her."

"She knows that," Leo replied.

Phoebe sighed. "I don't understand. We're her sisters and Max is her niece."

"But that's not the reason you need or want her here," Max said with a sigh. "Take me for example, I did not move in when you offered because I was a witch needing to be trained, but because you are my aunts. Aunt Paige is the same way, she is not going to move in because she is a witch, she will move in because she is your sister."

"I think Max is right," Phoebe agreed.

"In the meantime," Leo said, "you need to find the Prince before he exposes you. So I suggest you check with the Book of Shadows and get up to speed on Paige's fairy tale and I will check with the Elders and see what they know." He proceeded to orb out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A short time later they had made their way to the attic. Max watched as Piper lit some candles.

"I don't see what the big deal is. You'd think she'd want to move in here, considering the dump she lives in," Piper said.

"Piper," Phoebe said. "Max."

"Yeah, Aunt Phoe…"

"Just wait till the Shocker Demon attacks her," Piper interrupted, "then she might not be so resistant to the idea."

"Defiant, clever, and independent," Phoebe said. "That kinda describes Paige, don't you think?"

"Yeah, along with stubborn, stubborn, and more stubborn," Piper said as she moved next to her sister and niece.

"All right, listen to this," Phoebe said. "A powerful witch who came to the craft late but learned to use it quickly."

"That sounds like it could be either me or Aunt Paige," Max said. "Well other than the defiant, clever and independent, that's Chloe, but she's not a witch."

"What are you two gettin' at?" Piper asked.

"Well, don't you think that it's a huge coincidence that Paige's fairy tale just happens to be in the Book of Shadows and that this Prince just happens to show up in the 21st century head over heels in love with her?" Phoebe explained.

"Connect the dots will you?" Piper asked.

"It's not a fairy tale is it?" Max asked.

Phoebe shook her head. "I don't think so, I think it's a memory? Paige's memory from a past life?"

"Now you're reachin'," Piper said.

"No. I don't think so," Phoebe said. "I mean my past life came back to bite me on the butt. Why can't Paige's? Think about it. What if Paige was the evil Enchantress, once upon a time?"

"But…" Piper said as she looked at the book. "The Enchantress' power was to conjure the elements. Paige can't do that."

"Not now she can't," Max suggested. "Look at it like this. What would you have done if I used my rewind power to say rob a bank?"

"Bound your powers," Piper said instantly knowing what Max was thinking. "That means Paige could have had that power once upon a time, and for some reason lost them. Either they were bound or stripped from her."

Just then a portal opened up in front of them.

"This doesn't look good," Piper said as the Enchantress walked out of the portal and blew Max, Piper and Phoebe off their feet.

"Where is the Prince?" the Enchantress asked as she threw lightning at them.

Max brought time to a halt and they hightailed it from the attic.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

When time had started moving forward again and the Enchantress had found her quarry missing, she made her way through the house using her power to try and find Max, Piper and Phoebe's location. Thanks to Max's power to rewind she didn't find them and eventually left.

"Why do you think she left?" Phoebe wondered. "She has to know we know where the Prince is."

"Likely with the fact she couldn't find us," Max said. "She had to resort to her own devices and find him herself."

Piper sighed. "It's not like we're having enough problems with Paige. We have to deal with her past life, too?"

"Okay," Leo said as he orbed in, "I found out about the Prince." He noticed the destruction that the Enchantress had wrought. "What the hell happened here?"

"Paige's past life almost killed us. That's what happened here," Phoebe said.

"What?" Leo asked shocked by that revelation.

"Yeah. Paige, the evil Enchantress, same soul, different lifetime," Piper said. "She came through some magical portal looking for Prince carjack."

"Okay, well, you have to stop her. You can't let her find him," Leo said. "According to the Elders, if she conceives his heir, dark magic will rule his kingdom forever. History will be rewritten. Your future…"

Piper sighed. "Will be screwed. The world will plunge into darkness. Yadda, yadda, yadda!"

"Okay, that's not helping," Max said. "Wait if we vanquish Paige's past life doesn't that risk possibly vanquishing Paige in this life also?"

"Possibly," Leo said.

"Well, then fine. We won't vanquish her," Piper said. "We'll bind her powers and send her back in time, hopefully a virgin. Okay. Let's get some candles. We have a potion to concoct."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Across town in Paige's apartment, she sat on the couch facing the Prince who knelt before her.

"I still can't believe that you exist, that you're actually real," Paige said. "I always wanted to save you from the evil Enchantress so you could live happily ever after."

"Be with me and I shall," the Prince answered. "Come with me. Live in my castle as my princess."

"What is it with everyone wanting me to move in with them?" she asked with a sigh.

"I can give you all the riches you desire," the Prince said in response. "I can take you away from all of this."

"As tempting as that is, I know it's just the spell talking," Paige said.

"But isn't that what true love is?" he said as he got up off his knees and sat on the couch next to her. "Falling under someone's spell? Just tell me what you want and I'll give it to you. I swear."

"Can you make me as good as Max's mom, Prue, was?" Paige wondered.

"Uhh..." the Prince said unsure of what Paige was asking for.

"Never mind," she said with a sigh. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," the Prince said as he leaned in to kiss Paige.

"Hey!" Piper said as she, Leo, Max and Phoebe orbed in. She reacted instinctively and froze the Prince.

"What is going on with this barging in thing?" Paige asked with a gasp as she stood up and turned to face her sisters and niece. "This is getting ridiculous."

"Sorry," Piper apologized. "Thought he was attacking you."

Max rolled her eyes. "Really? You can't tell a kiss from an attack?"

Phoebe laughed. "Max has you there, Piper."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Paige asked looking at Leo. "I told you I'd call if I needed to."

"Well, something's come up," Leo replied. "Something you're not gonna like."

"Something worse than this?" Paige skeptical there was anything else worse.

"Aunt Paige, the evil Enchantress is here," Max said.

"She nearly killed us trying to get to him," Phoebe added.

"Oh my God," Paige said as she sat back down.

"Actually that's not the worse part," Piper said. "Remember how we were wondering how she cast a spell on him, but he fell for you?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, that's because you're her. Well, I mean… she-she's…" Phoebe tried to explain.

"You… uh, her… help," Piper said as she too tried to explain.

Max sighed and shook her head. "Aunt Paige, the evil Enchantress is you, or rather one of your past lives."

"And when you read the spell in the Book of Shadows, he came," Leo added motioning toward the Prince.

"And that's also why you remember the fairy tale so well," Piper said. "Because you've actually lived it once before."

"Okay! I can deal with this. Yeah. No wonder I related to her the most. Does this mean I'm evil?" Paige said.

Piper nodded. "Yeah."

"No!" Phoebe and Max said in objection to Piper's yes answer.

"No," Piper echoed.

"No. Not you. Just your past self," Phoebe said. "You've grown and evolved. Believe me, we… we all have. That's what we do."

"Right," Paige said.

"So, the plan is to bind the Enchantresses powers with this little potion," Piper said as she, Max, Phoebe and Leo each held up a vial.

"I'll do it," Paige said as she stood up and took Piper's vial.

"All right. Then we'll…" Piper said.

"No," Paige said. She debated doing this just herself. But she knew Max's rewind power could make the difference between her binding the Enchantresses powers or not. "With Max, but only Max. I put you guys in danger. I'll get you out of it, the only reason I am even asking Max for help is because of her rewind power or I would do this alone. It's my story after all. I have to end it once and for all."

"But you don't even know how to find the Enchantress," Leo said.

"Well, she's after the Prince, right?" Paige said as Max moved beside her. "Max and I'll just backtrack and surprise her."

"There's no reason for you to do this with just Max. It's not just your story anymore. You've got all of us now," Phoebe said.

"But, uh, if you wanna do it with just Max, then go for it," Piper said.

Paige smiled. "I do."

"Yeah. If that's what you want, we'll be here. Uh, with the Prince," Piper said as Max and Paige walked out the front door of the apartment.

"Why'd you let her go with only Max?" Phoebe wondered.

"Max has been right this whole time," Piper said. "We can't make her do something she doesn't want to do. Which I think in part is why she is allowing Max to help. Because unlike us, Max has never tried to make her do anything, at least that we're aware of."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Outside Paige and Max sat in Paige's car. "Max," Paige said. "I had more than one reason for letting you come."

"I figured," Max said. "While you were right my rewind could help. I know also I'm the only one who hasn't pressured you into moving in."

"I know," Paige said. "I can see why Chloe loves you. You are one hella good friend."

"Did you just say hella?" Max asked shocked. "I think as Chloe put it. I'm a good bad influence on you, Aunt Paige."

Paige laughed as she started the engine. Then she spotted the Enchantress walking down the street towards them. "Max," she said motioning toward the Enchantress.

"I see her," Max said.

Paige hit the gas as she tried to drive the car toward the Enchantress, who used her power and blew the car backwards, slamming it into Max's car. Her head briefly hit the steering wheel and for a second she thought she had passed out. When she looked up she saw the Enchantress was gone.

Paige looked over at Max and checked for a pulse and found her alive. Then she noticed blood coming from Max's side. She looked up and noticed the passenger side window was broken and quickly deduced that Max likely had glass in her side. "Leo!" she called out.

"Paige?" Leo said as he orbed in on the street next to Paige's car.

"It's Max," Paige said as she got out of the car and walked around the passenger side. She opened the door for Leo who lifted Max out of the car and laid her on the sidewalk.

"She's alive," Leo said as he picked the glass out of Max's side and began to heal her.

"Thank god," Paige said.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

"Uh… evil Enchantress," Paige said as Max woke up as Leo finished healing her. "Sorry, Maxi-pad."

Max laughed as she sat up and hugged Paige. "It's okay, Aunt Paige. And I think both Chloe and I are definitely good bad influences. Not only are you saying hella, but you used one of Chloe's nicknames for me."

Just then a bright light shone out of Paige's apartment. "Oh no," she said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the apartment Piper and Phoebe dove over the bed.

"Come to me, my Prince," the Enchantress said as she opened a portal. The Prince walked through the portal as she sent a gust of wind at Phoebe and Piper before she too walked through the portal.

"We can't just let them get away," Phoebe said.

"What are we supposed to do?" Piper wondered. "Go back to the Middle Ages, the Dark Ages, or whatever hell ages those are?"

"If we don't, good magic will be gone forever," Phoebe said as Piper jumped into the portal.

"No," Paige said as she, Max and Leo walked through the front door. They watched as Phoebe jumped through the portal seconds before it closed. "What have I done? This is all my fault. Piper and Phoebe were crazy to trust me. Why didn't I listen to them?"

"Now is not the time to lose it, Paige," Leo said. "We need to get them back."

"Get them back?" Max said wondering how they were going to do that. Could they even create a portal to take them back in time? And if they could how would they get themselves home. "What do we do? Hop on a bus to medieval times?"

"Concentrate, both of you," Leo said. "You both are powerful witches, whether either of you like it or not."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't powerful enough to take out the Enchantress, was I?" Paige asked. "Look at what happened to Max, when I tried."

Max sighed. "What happened to me wasn't your fault, Aunt Paige."

"Also one thing your past life should tell you is that you've always been powerful," Leo added. "You still have that power inside of you. Don't be afraid to tap into it now."

Paige sighed. "Okay. This is my fairy tale, right?"

"Yes," Leo and Max answered.

"This all started with a spell that brought the Prince here, so maybe if I rearrange it a little?" Paige suggested. "What if instead of bringing the Prince to me, I bring myself to him?"

"Creating your own portal?" Max asked. "It might just work, Aunt Paige. Go for it."

Paige smiled at her niece and nodded. "Bring together my Prince and me, his kingdom now I wish to see, crossing history to his side, from myself I will not hide," she chanted as a portal opened. "Oh my God. I did it. It worked." She followed by Max jumped into the portal."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Seconds later Paige and Max looked around the corner into the Enchantress' bedroom. They saw The Prince lying on a bed and the Enchantress walking toward him in in her nightgown.

"Okay, find Phoebe and Piper," Paige said. "I'll try to hold her off till they get here."

"How?" Max asked. "Uncle Leo told me our powers don't work in the past."

"Yours should," Paige said. "After all yours are time based. But mine … well if we really are one in the same, I should be able to tap into hers. Hurry. Go get Piper and Phoebe."

Max nodded as she raced off.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max found Piper and Phoebe chained to a wall.

"Aunt Piper! Aunt Phoebe!" Max said as she looked at her aunts and then toward a woman trapped in a cage nearby. "Hi."

"Hello," the woman said.

Max made her way to Piper and tried to unlock the chains.

"Oh! Easy, easy," Piper said.

"Behind you!" Phoebe said noticing a guard coming up behind Max.

Max reached out her hand and hoped Paige had been right about her powers working in the past since they were time related. She brought time to a halt. "Aunt Paige was right," Max said as she looked at Phoebe and Piper and found them frozen in time as well. "I guess you guys aren't technically witches in the past."

Max grabbed the sword out of the guard's hands and hit him over the head knocking him out as time began moving forward again.

"How?" Piper said as she noticed that Max had moved seemingly instantaneously and knocked out the guard.

"Aunt Paige suggested since my powers are time based they actually might still work in the past," Max said. She swung the sword at Piper's chains breaking them open. She repeated the move for Phoebe. She was about to free the woman in the cage when they heard a sound coming from another room.

"What's that sound?" Phoebe asked.

"Paige. Potion!" Piper said as she grabbed Max's vial out of her niece's hands. "Potion! Potion!"

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the bedroom the Enchantress tried to zap Paige with her powers.

"Don't hurt her," the Prince said as the Enchantress blew him off his feet.

"Throw the potion!" Paige said as she spotted Max, Phoebe and Piper. She blew the Enchantress off her feet. "Now!"

Piper threw Max's vial and it exploded at the Enchantress' feet.

"What have you done to me?" the Enchantress asked when she had tried to use her power against them.

"We've bound your powers, Enchantress," Piper said.

"No more kingdom come for you," Phoebe added.

Max smiled. "Not for you."

"How could you do this to me?" the Enchantress asked looking at Paige. "To us?"

"I didn't do it. We did it," Paige replied.

The woman form the cage rushed into the room and helped the Prince up before kissing him.

"Oh," Piper said as she went to cover Max's eyes.

Max rolled her eyes. "Aunt Piper!"

"I am well, my love," the Prince said.

"My love," Phoebe said as she smiled. "Looks like it takes the kiss of true love to break the spell."

"It's in every fairytale," Paige said with a chuckle.

"All right, super witch. Get us out of here," Piper said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Max stepped out of the portal into Paige's apartment. They found Leo was there waiting for them.

"Okay, so I won't be getting my security deposit back," Paige said as she looked around at the damage the Enchantress had caused.

"Yeah. Too bad you don't have any other place to stay," Piper said.

"It's no pressure. It's totally up to you, whenever you're ready," Phoebe added.

"Yeah, who needs electricity anyway?" Piper said.

"I wouldn't have to stay in the basement would I?" Paige asked.

"I've been thinking about that," Max said before Piper or Phoebe could respond to Paige's question. "Aunt Piper do you think it would be possible to renovate the garage loft?"

"Clean it out and make it into a livable apartment?" Piper said as she glanced toward Leo.

"I think we could do that," Leo said. "Might have to renovate the garage also." He looked to Max. "Why?"

"I was thinking Chloe and I could move into the garage loft," Max said. "And Aunt Page could have our room."

Piper smiled at her niece. "I think that might work."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Two months later Paige opened the door to her room in the Manor. It had taken some time to renovate the garage and garage loft to make it livable. In that time they had packed up all of the stuff in the room, both Max and Chloe's as well as Prue's old stuff to move out into the garage loft. They had also packed up Paige's apartment. They had even taken that time to vanquish the Shocker demon.

"Tada!" Paige said as she waved her hand around at the room. "What do ya think?"

"Wow. It's definitely different," Piper said.

"It's definitely you," Phoebe agreed.

"It's hella awesome," Chloe agreed. "It's hella you."

"Is that a hella good thing?" Paige asked.

Phoebe nodded. "Of course it's a good thing."

"Good, 'cause I was actually thinking the living room could use a little spicing up," Paige suggested.

Piper shook her head. "Don't push it."

"Well gotta go," Paige said. "And don't forget ... if you need me, please knock." She turned and headed downstairs.

"And they lived happily ever after," Piper said as Phoebe put an arm each around her and Max.

"Yeah, right," Max said with a roll of her eyes. She noticed out of the corner of her eye Chloe laughing.


	12. Chapter 11: Brain Drain Part 1

**Chapter 11: Brain Drain Part 1**

Max woke to find Chloe looking at her and smiling. "You're happy this morning," she said.

"Just never thought I would be this much in love," Chloe said. "Back when you saved me from Nathan by hitting the fire alarm, I was so angry, remember? Especially at my dad for dying."

"I remember," Max said with a sigh as she thought about her first use of jumping back in time via a photo. "And remember I tried to change that."

"I know," Chloe replied. "When you told me about saving him and the consequences it had in my life. Putting me in a wheelchair and killing Dawn. Well that was when I realized I was falling for you. When I realized I wanted to change for you. You probably hadn't noticed that I stopped smoking not long after we left Arcadia Bay."

Max thought back on it and nodded. She had noticed that Chloe hadn't waked 'n' baked in a while now. But she hadn't noticed that Chloe had stopped smoking all together. It made her wonder if she was that bad of a girlfriend for not noticing?

"Hey," Chloe said noticing the frown forming on Max's face. "I didn't mean that in a bad way. You had a lot going on, Maximus. First the destruction of Arcadia Bay, saving my family, your friends. Then finding out from your mom and dad that you had been adopted. Then finding your aunts, learning your birth parents were dead. And finally learning where your power came from. You had a lot on your mind."

Max smiled. "I did," she said as she kissed Chloe. "And you have been a wonderful girlfriend."

"It's more than that now though isn't it," Chloe said. "After all we do share a bed and we're even …"

"Making love?" Max suggested instead of the word Chloe was going to say. "Your right of course, we're lovers now." She leaned in and kissed Chloe again, slipping her tongue between Chloe's lips as they began to make out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the kitchen Piper and Phoebe looked through the open door of the oven.

"Damn it! These ones are burnt too. I'm losing my touch," Piper said as she pulled out a tray of burnt cookies.

"Oh, no, it's okay, sweetie, they're just a little crisp," Phoebe said as Piper put the tray on the table. She noticed Max and Chloe walk through the back door and waved. "Morning Max, Chloe."

"Morning Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Piper," Max said. She got a whiff of the burnt cookies and looked in their direction. "Aunt Piper, I thought you were a chef?"

"I am," Piper said with a sigh. "Or at least I was. Maybe I should think about making another batch?"

"Um, Piper, remember when you told me to tell you when you're obsessing?" Phoebe said.

Piper sighed. "I'm not obsessing. I just want everything to be perfect, that's all."

"Yeah, but Piper, it's a baby shower, not a Royal wedding. Besides, don't you think you're doing enough already?" Phoebe asked. "For god sakes, you're hosting the thing and you're not even close to Wendy anymore."

"That is precisely why I'm doing all of this. I swear to god, in the last couple of years we've vanquished more friendships than we have demons," Piper said as Max got a glass out of the cupboard.

"I don't know if that is hella true or not," Chloe said. "But, Piper, you have made new friends, you do know that right?"

Piper smiled and looked at Chloe and nodded. She would never have pictured herself being friends when she was younger with a person like Chloe. Of course Grams would have likely been up in arms about it, especially when it seemed Chloe was the type of person Phoebe seemed to be friends with when she was younger. But now she was glad to have Chloe as a friend. "That is true, Chloe," she said. "And I am happy that not only are you my niece's girlfriend, but my friend as well."

Max walked over to the fridge and grabbed the milk carton to only find it was empty. "Who left an empty milk carton in the fridge?" she asked.

"Somebody forgot to put it on the list again," Piper said with a glance at Chloe.

"Don't look at me," she said. "I know for a fact that Paige was the last one to get a drink out of it."

"You could of warned me, Chlo," Max said.

"Sorry," Chloe said.

"You know, it's gonna take Paige more than a week to adjust to living here," Phoebe said. "After all it took more than a week for both Max and Chloe to adjust."

"True," Piper said. "But Max and Chloe have been good about making sure they let us know when they used something up." She looked at Chloe again. "Most of the time anyways."

Chloe sighed. "I forgot one time, Piper. I haven't forgotten since."

"I know," Piper said.

"Piper," Chloe said. "I've been wondering. Is there a job at P3 to the Max that I could do? I know that between me and Max living here, even if it's now in the garage loft, you have a lot of extra costs. Between the renovations to the garage and Max's tuition to that school you got her into. You could use a little extra cash, right?"

"You are offering to work for me in exchange?" Piper said.

"You keep the majority of my wages," Chloe said. "I say the majority as I need to get my truck fixed. But the majority of my wages could go to help you."

"It would be a good idea," Phoebe said. "It would lessen the financial burden, since you would rather have me available in case a power of three demon were to attack."

"I actually thought about changing my stance on that," Piper said. "Chloe is right; there is a lot of extra money going out between Max's school tuition and the extra food. I have even been thinking of asking Paige to chip in at least on the food bill. If we could get the food bill and Max's tuition taken care of, I can take care of the rest."

"Okay," Phoebe said. "I will start looking."

"Now Chloe, what exactly did you have in mind. I don't know if there is actually a lot you can do. You can't actually serve drinks, since you are still underage," Piper said.

"Not many jobs," Chloe said, "could I do; bouncer maybe, janitor maybe, or possibly manager. Don't know on that last one though."

"As long as you are not the one actually serving the alcohol you can legally sell it as long as you are supervised by someone over twenty-one," Piper said. "I had been thinking of hiring a new manager anyways. I could make you a manager-in-training and promote you to full manager in two years when you turn twenty-one. Is being a manager something you want to do though?"

"I think it is something Chloe should do," Max said. "While bouncer would fit more in with her image and style. I think she should strive for better."

Chloe smiled and kissed Max's cheek. "Thanks for the word of support."

"I'll take that as a yes," Piper said. "You will be working with me till you turn twenty-one. That way we can be in compliance with the law. So if I am not at the club, you won't be, at least not as an employee, understood?"

"Hella understood," Chloe said.

"Okay will someone grab those," Piper said motioning toward two baskets filled with baby stuff.

Phoebe picked up the baskets and she, Max and Chloe followed Piper out of the kitchen. "So cute," she said. "Aunt Phoebe sure would like to throw one of these for you one day."

"I'm …" Max started to say.

"While it would be nice, Max," Phoebe said, "to throw you one someday. I meant, Piper."

"Damn it! Paige!" Piper said as she knocked over a chair.

"You're changing the subject," Phoebe said.

Piper shook her head as they walked into the living room. "No, I'm ignoring you."

"Well, you can't ignore that beautiful little girl of yours that we saw in the future, and if my math is right, you and Leo better start, you know, right about now," Phoebe said.

Chloe looked at Max. "Did you just go to a gross place?" she asked.

"Yeah," Max said. "Though what got my interest is they went to the future."

Piper sighed as she glanced at her niece and Chloe and then back at Phoebe. "Phoebe, we saw a lot of things in the future that won't be happening now."

"I know. But that doesn't mean you can't have kids. I mean, don't you wanna little kid?" Phoebe asked.

"Not with demons dropping in all the time," Piper said. "I don't."

"So this future …?' Max said.

Piper sighed. "Do you remember the lesson Leo said your mom, Phoebe and I had to learn about personal gain?"

"Yeah," Max said.

"That's the future Phoebe mentioned," Piper said. "In it Phoebe was burned at the stake, your mom owned Bucklands and I had a daughter."

"Was I?" Max asked.

"It was an alternate future, we must not have met you for some reason," Piper said. "Maybe in that future you saved the town instead of Chloe. Though I don't know how our personal gain use could have affected you."

"Cause and effect," Max said. "Chaos theory. Whatever set you on the path to that alternate future caused, according to Warren, an effect in everything even the environment around you."

"When a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world it can cause a hurricane in another part of the world," Phoebe said in understanding. "What may not have directly affected Max, may still have affected her. Think about it. The witch trials would have possibly been starting by now. If they were Max might have been afraid to save Chloe from being killed by that kid Nathan who originally shot her. As a result she may not have left Arcadia Bay and may have died in the tornado."

"That would make sense," Piper said in agreement just as Cole shimmered in.

"Phoebe?" he said.

"Hold that thought," Phoebe said. "Anyways back to the baby discussion, generations of Halliwells fought demons and had kids. It didn't stop them, why should it stop you?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe this is none of your business?" Piper asked.

"Oh, that's beside the point." Phoebe said.

"Phoebe," Cole tried again.

"How does Uncle Leo feel about this?" Max wondered. Despite the eww factor, she would love to have a baby cousin to help take care of.

"I haven't talked to Leo about this," Piper said.

"Well, don't you think we should?" Phoebe asked.

"We?" Piper said wondering what her sister meant by we.

Cole put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.

"Yes, Cole, what is it?" Phoebe asked.

"Okay. Freeze the room fast, then unfreeze only me," Cole said.

"What? Why?" Piper asked.

"Just do what I say and I'll explain after," Cole said.

"Let me try, Aunt Piper," Max said. "I've been wanting to try and see if I could selectively halt and un-halt time."

Piper nodded as Max brought time to a halt. Max looked at Cole and Chloe and willed time to restart only for them, but nothing happened. "It was worth a try. Keep practicing," Piper said.

"I will," Max said as she let time resume. "Give us a second, Cole. I couldn't selectively unhalt you or Chloe so Aunt Piper is going to freeze."

Cole nodded as Piper froze him, Chloe and the room.

"Please don't blow him up," Phoebe said.

"The same goes for Chloe," Max added.

"I'll try," Piper said as she unfroze Cole and Chloe.

"The rest of the room still frozen?" Cole asked.

"Cole, we're hella the only ones in the room," Chloe said.

"You're not actually. There's a chameleon in the house," Cole said.

"A lizard?" Max asked with a shake of her head. "You're worried about a lizard?"

"This chameleon is a demon," Cole explained as he grabbed a chair. "One who can transform into any object just to spy on you."

"Trying to tell me the manor or Max and Chloe's apartment is supernaturally bugged?" Piper asked.

Cole nodded. "Uh-huh. Has been for some time, apparently. It explains why the Source hasn't attacked you in a while. He's had his chameleons watching your every move, gathering inside information, especially now that he knows about Max and her ability to rewind time. Look around. What's not supposed to be here?"

The girls looked around as Piper spotted Paige's ugly-looking cane chair with bright red cushions. "Hmm," she said as she blew up the chair. Cushions and stuffing flew everywhere.

"Piper, I think that was Paige's chair," Phoebe said.

"Yeah, I know, exactly," Piper replied as the grandfather clock chimed.

"Uh, the room just unfroze," Cole said.

Max spotted a lamp she had never noticed before. "Aunt Piper is that a new lamp?" she asked just as the lamp transformed into a demon.

The demon used his power and they flew over the couch. Cole threw an energy ball at him and completely obliterated his arm, sending green goo over Piper's baby baskets. His arm immediately grew back.

"Cole, get back!" Piper said as she tried to blow up the demon, which ducked, and blew up the grandfather clock instead. "Damn it, we just got that thing fixed."

Paige walked down the stairs holding a washing basket and wearing earphones. The demon ran in front of her and Cole threw another energy ball. The demon ducked and Paige orbed out before the energy ball hit her. The demon got up and shimmered out as Paige orbed back in. "What the hell happened?" she asked.

"The freakin' furniture just attacked!" Piper said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A short time later Phoebe laid on the couch as Leo healed a wound on her forehead.

"Do you know how long the chameleon demon was in the house?" Leo asked.

"I don't know," Phoebe said. "The lamp has been here for at least three days. Maybe more."

"What do you think he wants?" Piper asked.

"I told you. Gathering information," Cole said.

"But for what?" Chloe wondered. "For why?"

"For the Source's next attack," Cole said as Max walked through the door from the kitchen.

"Anything?" Piper asked looking at her niece.

"Nothing is amiss that I could see, no new furniture or anything," Max said. "And I made sure to keep time halted while I looked too."

"Excuse me," Paige said as she walked toward them carrying her chair. "Is there any way to claim this kind of damage on our home owner's insurance policy?"

Piper shook her head. "Usually not."

"Usually?" Paige asked. "What do you mean? I can expect my furniture to be blown up again?"

"Get ready for the unexpected," Phoebe said. "That's rule number one in the Halliwell manor."

"Let me guess, rule number two is protect Chloe?" Chloe asked with a chuckle.

"I know that was meant to be a joke," Piper said. "But yet, you are definitely high up there in the rules, Chloe. I don't want Max coming at me because I let you get killed."

"Maybe we should get back on topic and figure out a way to find this demon," Phoebe suggested.

"Well, you could try scrying using his blood," Leo suggested.

"And we've got plenty of that," Piper said with a sigh. "Although, I don't know what good it would do to find him now. Whatever he's learned he's already told the Source."

"Except that he might also know what the Source's plan is," Cole said. "How he's going to attack. Find him; we might be able to find that out."

"I know," Paige suggested, "what about pooling our money into a fund to cover anybody's damage no matter who's it is."

"Um," Phoebe said, "we kind of are already pulling our money."

"Yeah," Max said. "I'm kinda expensive when Piper is putting me through private school for my senior year."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Paige said. "What about your parents?"

"They can't afford to send me to a private school," Max said. "I was on a scholarship while I was going to Blackwell."

"That reminds me, Piper," Phoebe said. "Have you shown Max, Prue's space in the basement?"

"What space?" Max asked confused.

Piper smiled. "Your mom had a dark room. As you know she was working as a professional magazine photographer. Her camera and other photography stuff are in that room. It's all yours. Of course we will keep your instamatic camera for your daily rewind photos. But I think if you are dead set in following in Prue's footsteps, you need to start using better equipment and Prue had some good equipment."

Just then the doorbell rang. Everyone looked at each other and Piper and Phoebe cautiously walked toward the door.

"Whoa!" said Becca, a friend of Piper's, when Piper opened the front door. "Scared me. Hey, Phoebe, it's been a long time. Hey, sorry I'm late, we should go."

"Go?" Piper asked as Max came up beside her and Phoebe.

"To the shower," Becca said. "Wasn't I supposed to pick you up? Did I mess up?" She looked in her day planner.

"No, no, you didn't, Becca," Piper answered. "There's just some stuff going on here."

"So what else is new, huh? Do you want some help with the party baskets?" Becca asked as she started to walk through the door.

"Hi," Max said as she stepped in front of Becca. "My name's Max Caulfield. I'm Piper and Phoebe's niece."

Becca looked at Piper quizzically.

"Prue gave her up for adoption," Piper said. "She came looking for us recently, wanting to meet her birth family. She's staying with us now, while she goes to school here in San Francisco."

"It's nice to meet you, Max," Becca said.

"Anyways," Phoebe said, "I'm afraid something came up and Piper can't..."

"Oh, no, don't tell me that you're not gonna come," Becca said. "Everyone's so looking forward to seeing you again."

"Oh, really? Oh, they are?" Piper said surprised. "Well, th—then we can't disappoint them. W—We'll get some stuff at the market on the way there."

"Will you excuse us for one minute?" Phoebe said as she closed the door. "Wh—Are you outta your mind? You can't still go. Piper, we have to scry for that demon."

"Well, it doesn't take three sisters and a niece to scry," Piper said. "You two and Paige can do it and then call me when you find him."

"Piper!" Phoebe said.

"Phoebe," Piper said. "Look, okay, the bottom line is if I'm ever gonna have kids, then I need a life first, which means I need to be a human first and then a witch later. Okay, got it? Good. Come on Chloe, first day of work starts right now." Chloe walked over to her as she tried to open the door. "Outta the way!" Phoebe sighed and moved out of the way. She opened the door. "Hi! Bye Leo!"

"Bye!" Leo called back as Piper and Chloe left with Becca.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Later at P3 to the Max, Chloe walked between Piper's friends pouring glasses of lemonade. As she headed back to the bar Piper's friend, Wendy—the mother to be and whom Piper was hosting the baby shower for, looked at Piper. "No offense, Piper. But isn't she kind of the wrong image you want to present?" she asked.

Piper smiled. "Chloe is a friend of mine, Wendy. On top of that she is my niece's, Max's, girlfriend. I trust her, okay. Besides I'm not going to do anything to anger my niece so soon after being reunited with her."

"If you don't mind my asking. Are you sure she's Prue's? I don't remember Prue ever being pregnant," Wendy said as she opened a gift and pulled out a cute baby jacket. "Oh, how cute is this! Oh, Piper, this is adorable. Where did you get this?"

"Uh, a little shop in the embarcadero. They have the cutest things," Piper said. "And about Max being Prue's daughter, yes Phoebe and I are sure. Max had the proof to back it up. Also the date of Max's birth corresponds to the time when Prue ran away for six months."

"I remember that," Wendy said. "Your Grams was so angry. Six months, would place just enough time for her to leave before she started showing and come back just after she delivered. You know we have so much more to catch up on."

"I know. We will," Piper said as she moved beside Becca, who was smiling at her. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just good to see you out and about again, that's all," Becca said.

Piper sighed as she glanced at Chloe. "Yeah, after Prue died it took some time to..."

Becca glanced toward Chloe and then nodded. "It was a surprise you didn't expect wasn't it," she said.

"Yeah," Piper said. "I don't know why Prue didn't tell me. I can understand Phoebe, but me."

"I don't have an answer for that," Becca replied. "I wish I did. But it wasn't just Prue's death and Max's arrival I was thinking about. The last three or four years you've just kinda disappeared."

"Yeah," Piper said.

Just then the phone sitting on the bar rang. Chloe looked toward Piper and sighed. She had heard what Piper had said about her and it caused her to smile. She walked up to the bar and picked up the phone. "P3 to the Max, Manager-in-Training, Chloe Price speaking, how can I be of service?"

"Chloe," came Leo's voice over the phone, "I need to talk to Piper."

"Sure, Leo," Chloe replied. "Let me get her." She sat the phone down on the counter and walked over to Piper. "It's for you, Piper, its Leo."

"Tell him I'll call him back," Piper said.

Chloe nodded as she walked back over to the bar and picked up the phone. "What is it Leo?" she asked knowing Leo wouldn't call unless it was important. "She said to tell you she would call you back."

"Max, Paige and Phoebe think they found the demon," Leo answered.

"Okay, hold on," Chloe said as she sat down the phone again and walked over to Piper. She leaned down and whispered in Piper's ear. "He said they think they found the demon."

Piper sighed. "Excuse me," she said as she got up and walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Already? Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Leo said. "You have to go now."

Piper sighed. "How am I supposed to have kids when I can't even be at someone else's baby shower?"

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind," Piper replied. "Meet me outside. The least I can do is say goodbye." She hung up and walked over to Wendy. "Uh, Wendy, I'm sorry, I've gotta go, something's come up."

"Ugh, now?" Wendy asked. "But we haven't even had the cake yet, you're gonna miss the best part."

"Ugh, I know. Story of my life," Piper said. "Chloe will stay here and have that cake in my absence."

Wendy looked to Chloe and then nodded. "If she means that much to you, I'll give her a chance and look past the tattoo and the blue hair."

"Thanks, that means a lot," Piper said. "I'll see you later."


	13. Chapter 12: Brain Drain Part 2

**Chapter 12: Brain Drain Part 2**

"So we've got the spell to vanquish the chameleon but we're not gonna use it," Max said as she looked at her aunts and uncle confused. "I don't get it."

"Well, you vanquish him only if you have to," Leo explained. "The goal here is to try and interrogate, find out what the Source is planning."

"I think that this guy's not gonna be so eager to spill his guts," Paige said. She like her niece was confused on why they were trying to capture the demon.

"Oh, he'll spill," Cole said. "I'll make sure to that."

Phoebe shook her head as she objected to Cole helping. "No, you can't come, he saw you with us. Probably means the Source has some bounty hunter ready to attack you, or capture you, or something."

"So what else is new?" Cole asked.

"Well, it doesn't make it any less dangerous," Phoebe said.

"How is that any different than me?" Max offered. "If he knows of me like Cole said. He would want me out of the way before he went after you."

"Which is why we will be working in teams of two," Piper said. "You with me, and Phoebe and Paige together. Not only will the be for our protection, but also so we can cover more ground."

"Anyways the question still stands," Paige said. "How do we get a demon to stop and chat with us."

"Since Max has not gotten the ability to selectively stop time down," Phoebe said. "Piper will have to freeze him and unfreeze only his head, she's done that before." She looked to her eldest sister. "How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know," Piper said.

"Why, you got a better idea?" Cole asked.

"Maybe," Piper said as she sat on the couch. "We could tell him to offer the Source a deal instead."

"Deal?" Leo asked suddenly worried what Piper might have in mind. "What kind of a deal?"

"Well, something like, he stops coming after us and we stop going after him," Piper said.

"What?" Phoebe asked shocked that Piper would even think of offering the Source a deal.

"Of course that would mean we'd have to stop going after all of his demons too, which would be fine by me. It would stop all of the constant attacks," Piper said. "In fact not having to worry about being attacked would even protect both Max and Chloe as they would be considered part of the deal."

"Am I the only one who thinks Aunt Piper bumped her head?" Max wondered.

"No," Paige said to her niece. "I was just wondering the same thing."

"You can't be serious, Piper," Phoebe said.

"Actually, I've never been more serious in my life," Piper said. "Think about it. This could be an opportunity for us to get out of the demon fighting business once and for all."

"Wait, and what, just give up on your destiny?" Leo asked.

"How do you know we haven't already fulfilled it?" Piper asked. "I mean, god knows, we've saved scores of innocents already. Maybe that's enough. In fact whose to say Max hasn't fulfilled hers as well? What if saving Chloe's family was her destiny? Hmm? Maybe it's time for some other witches to take over and let all of us get on with our lives. Isn't it worth a try in exchange for what we might be getting? No more putting things on hold, vacations, friends, kids."

"We can't give up now," Phoebe said. "We are so close. We have to take out the Source if we can. And if not just for our sake, or Max's or even Chloe's, then for Prue's."

Piper sighed. "Fine. I just hope we don't end up where she did," she said. "Especially Max, I don't think Prue would ever forgive me if I got her daughter killed."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

An hour later Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Max stood at the entrance to two alleys looking at the scrying map.

"Something's not right. We've checked both alleys twice," Piper said.

"Well, the chameleon's gotta be here somewhere because the crystal never lies," Phoebe said.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm hella getting a not so good feeling about this," Max said as Paige nodded in agreement.

"Alright, we'll check one more time and then we'll call it quits," Piper said. "Keep your eyes peeled, he could be anything." She and Max watched as Paige and Phoebe walked down one alley before they turned down the other.

As Piper and Max headed down the alley the noticed a shadow was being cast by something behind them. As they spun to face the shadow, they realized it was the chameleon. He threw an energy ball at Max and sent her flying backwards down the alley before she could use her power.

Piper instinctively tried to freeze the demon so that she could go check on Max.

"Were you expecting me to freeze?" he asked as he just shook off the freeze.

"Phoebe! Paige!" Piper yelled out as he threw another energy ball at her which sent her flying. She landed next to Max as the chameleon walked up to her.

As Phoebe and Paige ran into the alley they watched as the chameleon flamed out with Piper.

Phoebe ran to Max and checked her niece over. "Leo!" she called out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max lay on the couch, at the Manor, her head cradled in Chloe's lap. "I'm alright, Chlo," she said.

Chloe sighed. She had gotten the call from Paige that Max had been injured by the chameleon demon and that Leo was healing her. She had made her excuses to Piper's friends and asked one of Piper's employees to lock up when the baby shower was over. She then rushed back to the Manor. "Don't ever worry me like that, Maximillian," she said. "I don't want ever get a call from Paige, Phoebe, Piper or even Leo that you …" she choked up unable to finish what she was saying.

Phoebe placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder and gave the blue haired girl a gentle squeeze in support.

"Anything?" Paige asked looking at Leo was trying to sense Piper's location since their return to the Manor.

Leo shook his head. "I can't sense Piper anywhere."

"Does that mean that …" Max choked before she could even say the word dead.

"No," Phoebe said. "He wouldn't have taken her if he wanted her dead." At that moment Cole shimmered in covered in slime. "Cole? Oh my god."

"I'm alright," Cole said. "I just found out that Piper's in the underworld, I think the Source has her."

"The Source?" Phoebe said. "A—are you sure? How do you know?"

"From another chameleon demon," Cole answered. "I kinda 'squeezed' it out of him."

"Well, we gotta find her. There's gotta be a spell in here somewhere," Phoebe said. As she picked up the Book of Shadows she received a premonition of the Source taking the Book and killing her, Paige, Max and Chloe.

"Phoebe?" Cole said having noticed the pause.

"I saw the Source stealing the book and killing me, Paige, Max and Chloe with mine, Piper and Paige's powers," Phoebe said.

"Your powers?" Chloe asked suddenly worried. "How can he get your powers?"

"Maybe he's figured how to get them from Piper. Explains why he's keeping her alive," Cole said.

"Doesn't explain why I'm alive," Max said. "He could have done it there."

"It is likely that he considers you to be insignificant to the power of three. But he also likely knows that you would be a threat to him if he took out Piper, Phoebe and Paige," Leo said. "That's probably why he's trying to get the Charmed powers from Piper."

"But she can't give them up herself," Phoebe said.

"Well, she can using the relinquishing spell in the book," Leo replied.

"But we burnt that spell three years ago, it doesn't exist anymore," Phoebe argued.

"It does in her mind," Leo said.

"That's crazy. She'd never say it, she'd never give up her powers," Phoebe said.

"Even though she was hella willing to this morning?" Chloe said. "I'm just saying."

"I know what you're saying, Chloe, but you don't know what you're talking about," Phoebe said. "I'm sorry."

"Maybe you and I should go down there, see if I can sense her," Leo said as he turned his attention to Cole.

"Follow me," Cole said as he shimmered out. A second later Leo orbed out after him.

"Okay, there's a bunch or summoning spells we can try," Phoebe said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Chloe and Max watched as Phoebe and Piper recited summoning spells.

"Power of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies, come to us who call you near, come to us and settle here. Blood to blood I summon thee, blood to blood return to me."

Max sighed as she shook her head when nothing happened. "Any other spells?" she asked.

"No. I don't know what else to do. If Leo and Cole can't find her..." Phoebe said before noticing the look on Paige's face. "What is it?"

"Leo said something about the power of relinquishing spell being in Piper's mind," Paige said.

Phoebe sighed. "I told all of you, she'd never say it. You guys don't know her as well as I do."

"No, but I am getting to know the Source," Paige said. "He likes to play tricks on people's minds. I mean, god knows, he did with mine, he almost had me kill, remember?"

"What is it you're getting at?" Chloe wondered.

"Well, maybe that's what he's trying to do to Piper, get into her mind somehow," Paige explained. "I mean, if that's where the spell is."

"Then that's probably where he's looking for it," Phoebe said in understanding. "And if he can get into her mind, then why can't we?" She started flipping through the Book of Shadows. She stopped at the spell she was looking for. "Chloe I need some candles."

Chloe nodded as she grabbed some candles and handed them to Phoebe who placed them in a circle and began to light them.

"Are we sure we wanna do this?" Paige asked as she looked at the spell in the Book.

"This was your idea, remember?" Phoebe replied.

"Well, in the abstract, yeah, but, uh, I have enough trouble being in my head let alone someone else's," Paige explained.

"Our minds wouldn't actually be in Aunt Piper's mind would they?" Max asked.

"No, just our consciousness," Phoebe said. "Kinda like astral projection."

"So the spell gets you in her head," Chloe said. "What about after that?"

"We use the reversal spell to get us out. Are you ready?" Phoebe said as she, Max and Paige knelt within the circle of candles. "I'm not about to lose another sister. And neither are you, Paige. And Max you are not losing an aunt."

"What should I do?" Chloe wondered.

"Just keep watch," Phoebe said. "Without having powers I don't see what all you could do, Chloe. You couldn't pull us out." She looked to her niece and sister as they joined hands and began to recite the spell. "Life to life and mind to mind, our spirits now will intertwine. We mold our souls and journey to, the one whose thoughts we wish we knew."

Chloe sighed as she watched Max, Paige and Phoebe collapse to the floor. "Good luck," she said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Phoebe, Max and Paige appear in the midst of a garden. "I think it worked," Phoebe said as they saw what looked like the Manor behind them.

"Either that or we're in Mary Poppins' head," Paige said.

"Aunt Piper!" Max said as she turned and saw Piper sitting in a wheelchair. She followed by Phoebe and Paige ran over to Piper. "We're gonna get you outta here."

"Okay, I have the spell," Phoebe added.

Piper shook her head. "No, no more spells."

"Piper, honey, it's us, your sisters," Phoebe said. "And your niece, Max."

"I don't have any sisters or a niece," Piper said. "Go away, leave me alone!"

"You're too late," the chameleon said, or rather who they realized he really was—the Source. "Her nightmare's about to end." He signaled and three doctors grabbed a hold Paige, Max and Phoebe. "Keep 'em here. I want them to witness this. And no threats, your powers don't work here."

"Oh, yeah?" Paige said.

Max tried reversing time and frowned when nothing happened. She looked towards Phoebe and Paige and lightly shook her head. They understood immediately that something was blocking her powers.

"Spell!" Paige called out testing to see if it was just Max or all of them. Like with Max nothing happened.

"Pain," the Source said as a doctor holding Paige shook her causing her to gasp out in pain, "however, you do feel. And will after she recites the spell thrice. Once for each of the Charmed powers. Then it will be easy enough to take out the only remaining threat from the Charmed line."

"Leo," Phoebe said as Leo exited the Manor. "Help Piper, get her outta here."

"Yes, Leo, by all means," the Source said as Leo wheeled Piper down the path.

"It's okay. Piper, honey, just say the word and everything will be alright," Leo said.

"No!" Paige said as she, Max and Phoebe tried to escape the grips of the doctors.

"From whence they came return them now..." Piper chanted.

"Piper, don't! Please, Piper, don't," Phoebe said quite worried that Piper would give up their powers.

"Vanish the words, vanish our powers..." Piper said.

"Phoebe," Max whispered low enough so the Source couldn't hear. "The spell that brought us here, right? Would it be affected by the fact we don't have access to our powers inside Piper's mind?"

"I don't think so, why," Phoebe whispered.

"Don't trust them, they're trying to steal our powers!" Paige said.

"Don't listen to them," the Source said.

"They're still delusional," Leo added.

"You're not," the Source said with a smile which turned to a frown as he noticed that Max looked to be flickering.

Paige and Phoebe followed his gaze to Max. "What's happening to Max?" Paige asked.

"Chloe," Max said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Chloe sat on the couch on one end of the attic as she watched Phoebe, Max and Paige lay inside the circle of candles. "Come on, Max," she said.

"Chloe."

"Max?" Chloe said. She got up and moved over to her girlfriend. "Are you awake?"

"Need help, Chloe."

Chloe could see that Max was still asleep from the spell and realized that Max's voice was coming from inside her own head. "How? I'm not a witch."

"You said Buffy is something called a Slayer, that she is mystical warrior chosen to fight demons. It possible you being her sister, that there might be …"

"That I could be like her," Chloe said with a nod. "An uncalled Slayer, waiting in the wings. But how does that help you?"

"Step into the candles."

Chloe looked at Max's body and then stepped inside the candles.

"Life to life and mind to mind, Chloe and Piper's spirits now will intertwine. Mold their souls and journey to, to Piper, whose thoughts she wish she knew."

Chloe collapsed to the floor next to Max.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Chloe looked around at the garden she appeared in. She spotted Max and rushed over to her girlfriend.

"How?" the Source said as he looked at Chloe. "Of course." He looked at Max and nodded.

Chloe spun and kicked out knocking the doctor holding Max away from her girlfriend. "Max?"

"Piper," Max said. "She is trying to …"

Chloe nodded as she ran over to Piper. "Piper, don't do this. Your magic is hella a gift. Don't throw that away."

"From whence they came, return them now." Piper said as the Source disappeared along with Leo and the doctors.

"Listen to Max," Chloe said as Leo appeared and walked up beside her. "Listen to Phoebe and Paige. Trust me, don't say the spell. If you relinquish your powers then everything you've done since getting them is all for naught. What your sister Prue died for is all in vain. Think about it, Piper, if not for your powers you would not have met your niece. Remember she came looking for you because of her powers."

Piper looked toward Max and then at Chloe. "Are you really my friend?" she asked as Leo smiled and healed a wound on her forehead.

"You hella better believe it," Chloe said.

"And you are really my husband?" Piper asked looking at Leo.

Leo laughed. "Yes."

Piper glanced at Phoebe and Paige. "That would make you two really my sisters."

"Whether you like it or not," Phoebe said.

Piper finally looked at Max who smiled and came over to her helping her out of the wheelchair. "And you are my niece, Prue's daughter?"

"Yes, Aunt Piper," Max said.

"And so that demon is gone?" Piper asked as Phoebe nodded. "Thank god, because that guy was freaking me out."

"Whattaya say we uh, click our heals and get out of this crazy joint?" Paige suggested. "Uh, no offense."

"That's okay," Piper said as she watched a butterflies fly past. "My life has always been a little crazy."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

After casting the reversal spell, Max and Chloe had decided to wait at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer of the Manor as Piper made her way through the house trying to get reacquainted with it. Piper ran past them and through all the rooms and they fell in step with Phoebe, Paige, Leo and Cole as they followed Piper.

"Is something wrong?" Phoebe asked.

Piper shook her head. "No, everything is just right," she said with a smile.

"Except for my chair," Paige said with a sigh.

Max nudged Piper and her aunt looked at her. "It's alright she mouthed."

"Yeah, which, um, I'll actually pay to replace," Piper said.

"Oh, god no, it's not your fault. Or is it?" Paige wondered.

"Actually, yeah, it was," Piper said. "I was just upset that there was yet another demon in our lives. And I know I should stop fighting it and just accept it but..."

"Nah, it wasn't my favourite chair anyway," Paige interrupted. "And it's actually kinda good to know that I'm not the only one who struggles with the idea of being a witch."

"I think I speak for myself, Aunt Piper and Aunt Phoebe," Max said. "You are in good company."

"Well, the good news is you won't have to deal with the Source any time soon because Cole hurt him pretty bad," Leo said.

"Not bad enough though, he'll be back," Cole said.

"So, he's gone for now isn't he? First time in a long time. I think we should take advantage of that," Phoebe suggested.

"Why, Ms. Halliwell, are you trying to seduce me?" Cole asked as he pulled Phoebe to him.

"Always," Phoebe said.

"Eww," Piper and Max said as Phoebe and Cole ran up the stairs.

"Okay, and I'm just gonna... go to the store, get some milk, or something," Paige said as she left out the front door.

"Sure you're okay?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Piper nodded. "You know, I—I'm never gonna stop wanting what you and Max have, Chloe, a normal life, but you know what? I think that's the one thing that actually keeps me sane."

"Well, you hella deserve a normal life, Piper," Chloe said. "You all do."

"And maybe we'll get that when we vanquish the Source once and for all," Leo added.

"And who knows," Piper said as she looked at her husband. "Maybe one day I can have a baby shower of my own. What do you think?"

"Well, in that case..." Leo said as he picked Piper up. "We need to practice a little."

"Eww!" Max said.

"One thing first," Piper said as Leo was about to orb her out. "Chloe, how did you manage to get in my head without any powers?"

"That was my doing," Max said. "I figured the Source no powers thing only extended into your mind. So I basically astral projected myself into Chloe's head like we had been doing with you. I cast a modified form of the spell on Chloe"

"And the next thing I knew I hella was inside you head, Piper," Chloe said.

"Thank you, Chloe," Piper said as she pulled away from Leo and walked over to her friend. She hugged Chloe who smiled and returned the embrace. "You helped to convince me this is where I wanted to be."

"You are hella welcome, Piper," Chloe said.


	14. Chapter 13: Black as Cole Part 1

**Chapter 13: Black as Cole Part 1**

Max sighed as she watched Piper pace around the attic. They had been told by Leo and William that there was a demon that liked to kill witches. So Max had, with Piper looking over her shoulder, scryed for the demon and Phoebe and Cole had gone to check it out when Max had a location.

"A demon who likes to kill witches," Paige said as she flipped through the Book of Shadows. "Well, that narrows it down to about every page in the book."

"We have one clue. We know he likes to use an athame," Piper said.

"How does that help?" Max asked.

Piper glanced at her niece and shook her head. "It means he has hands," she said before turning her gaze toward Paige. "Keep flipping."

"So I hear you and Leo are thinking about having a baby," Paige said.

"Uh if you guys are going to have the sex talk, I'm going downstairs," Max said as she got up and headed for the attic door.

Piper nodded in understanding towards Max. When she was Max's age she would not have wanted to hear about her parents or any grown-up for that matter having sex. "Where did you hear that from?" she asked.

Paige shrugged. "From Phoebe," she said as Piper rolled her eyes. She watched as her niece walked out of the attic and down the stairs. She felt sorry for Max, she remembered when her parents brought up the sex talk and how she had not wanted to hear it. Did any teenager really want to hear their parents or in Max's case aunts and uncle talk about sex? "Oh, did I just break some sort of sister confidentiality clause?"

Piper shook her head. "No, you didn't, and no we aren't."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max stopped on the second floor and looked toward Paige's room. She quietly moved inside and looked around.

"Having trouble with your aunts talking about sex?"

Max spun around and her eyes widened at whom she saw. "Mom?" she said as she looked at Prue.

Prue smiled. "Yes, hello my little girl."

Max took a step to Prue and wrapped her arms around Prue. "It's so good to finally meet you. But I have to…"

"Piper, Phoebe and Paige can't see me yet," Prue said. "And when I leave you won't likely be allowed to see me again till they can. I'm here as one a time deal."

"Why?" Max wondered. "Why just this time?"

"Because unlike Piper, Phoebe or Paige, you have not met me or know me. And yes Paige met me briefly. She knows, whether she truly remembers me or not." Prue said. "Five years ago I found myself in social services office where Paige works. I wanted to find you; I wanted to bring you home. Of course I couldn't, the laws just don't work that way. Sure you had an open adoption, but at the same time unless your adoptive parents wanted you to see me. Then I couldn't see you, and from what I gathered at the time they had not even told you of me, plus you were going through some stuff."

"William's death," Max said in understanding. "And probably preparation for the move to Seattle. Probably figured I couldn't handle another bombshell at the time."

"And they were probably right," Prue said in agreement. "I wish now, Max. That Andy and I had kept you. Fought Grams, I was afraid Max that if she found out I was pregnant that she would either not let Andy see you or give you up for adoption all together herself. As my legal guardian, of course she had that right of course. But if I had fought her, then maybe, just maybe I could raise you. And then when you came into your powers you would have someone to teach you about them."

"While it would have been nice," Max said, "to have been raised by you. It would have also meant that I wouldn't have been Chloe's friend, and in turn save her and her family from that tornado. I feel that what happened had to happen and couldn't have happened any other way."

Prue smiled and nodded. "I agree. You were destined to go the Caulfields, I know that now. You were destined to fall in love with Chloe. But know this my daughter your destiny is still unfolding. You are only at the beginning of it and I wish you all the luck in the world. Blessed be, Patricia Andrea Trudeau—my daughter, I will be watching over you," she said as she disappeared in swirling white lights.

At that moment Max's cell phone rang, she quickly brought it to her ear as she answered. "Hello?"

"Max?" came Chloe's voice from the other end.

"Chloe," Max said. She walked out of Paige's room and headed back upstairs. Chloe had offered to chauffeur Cole and Phoebe, since Phoebe's car was in the shop. "Did Phoebe and Cole find anything?"

"No," Chloe said as Max walked into the attic.

"Got Chloe on the phone," Max said before noticing Leo had joined Piper and Phoebe. "Hey Uncle Leo."

"Max," Leo said.

"They're at Battery and Clay," Max said.

"Phoebe and Cole say there is no sign of the demon in the alley," Chloe said as Max repeated it to Piper, Leo and Paige.

"Tell her I'll scry for him," Piper said.

Max nodded. "Aunt Piper is going to scry for him, make sure I got the right location."

"Alright," said Chloe.

Piper moved to the table and picked up the crystal and scryed, it pointed to the exact spot Phoebe, Chloe and Cole were. "Battery and Clay," she said. "He's still there."

"Aunt Piper says he's still there," Max said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Max said that Piper said he's still here somewhere," Chloe said as she ended the call.

"Keep the motor running," Phoebe said as she and Cole walked back down the alley.

Chloe watched from the driver's side window of her truck as a demon dropped down behind Phoebe and Cole. "Behind you," she yelled as the demon threw out a string of slime that wrapped around Phoebe's leg.

Phoebe screamed as the demon pulled on the slime, lifting her up.

Cole grabbed a hold of Phoebe's arms. "Hold on," he said.

"I can't," Phoebe said as Cole started to loosen his grip, holding onto only her fingers. She looked at him and nodded.

"3,2,1," Cole said as he let go of one hand and threw an energy ball at the demon.

Chloe rolled up her truck window as the demon exploded and green goo splattered on her window as well as Phoebe and Cole. She got out of her truck and ran down the alley toward Phoebe and Cole who lay on a pile of clothes laughing.

"We have to stop meeting like this," Phoebe said.

"Marry me," Cole said.

Chloe blinked as she came up short. She noticed that Phoebe had a similar reaction as she stopped laughing. "What?" they both asked simultaneously.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Chloe looked at Cole and Phoebe as she held the Manor door open for them. Phoebe and Cole were still covered in slime and Chloe had insisted that they ride in the bed of her truck till they got back and had a chance to shower.

"Don't you think we should talk about this?" Cole asked.

Chloe sighed. She had the little sliding glass window opened in the back of her truck all the way back to the Manor and heard Phoebe and Cole talking. Part of it was about the marriage proposal.

"Talk about what?" Phoebe asked as Piper and Max came down the stairs.

"Wow, looks like you two got a juicy one," Piper said.

"So juicy that if they hadn't been drenched I would have drove my truck through a car wash," Chloe said as Piper and Max looked at her questioningly. "You really think I was going to let them ride in the cab all the way back here?"

Piper laughed. "Probably not," she said as she looked back at Phoebe. "Well?"

"It was unfortunately not the one that kills witches," Phoebe said.

"How do you know?" Max wondered.

"Because upper level demons have a human form, and they bleed, red, not green," Cole said as Phoebe headed up the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going up to take a shower first, and then I'm going to check the Book of Shadows," Phoebe said. "I wanna I.D. this demon that I'm wearing, try to find some answers."

"Speaking of unanswered questions…" Cole said.

"There is a demon on the loose, Cole, we don't have time for this," Phoebe said exasperated.

"Shouldn't we make time for it?" Cole wondered.

Phoebe shook her head. "No, not now we shouldn't."

"What are you guys talking about?" Max asked.

"Nothing," Phoebe and Cole said at the same time.

Piper looked to Chloe who shook her head. "I'm staying out of this," Chloe told her. "This is between you, your sister and Cole."

"Let's go get your truck washed off," Max said as she and Chloe walked back out the front door.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"What was that all about?" Max asked as she dragged the water hose toward Chloe's truck.

"In the heat of the moment, Cole asked Phoebe to marry her," Chloe said.

"Are you cereal?" Max asked. "I never would have expected that. And I don't know if Leo's bosses are going to like that either. I remember the story Aunt Piper told me of hers and Uncle Leo's relationship before they got married and how the Elders had been dead set against it before Aunt Piper had proven to them it would not be a bad thing. I don't think they are probably very happy that Aunt Phoebe is even dating a demon."

"They are not."

Chloe and Max turned and saw William standing behind them.

"Dad!" Chloe said as she hugged William.

"Hello, Chloe," William said as he returned the embrace. "How is my brave girl doing?"

"I'm good, dad," Chloe replied, she was happy to see her father.

"What do you mean they're not, William?" Max asked as she too embraced William.

"Just that that they are not happy that Phoebe is dating Cole, but Leo has gone to bat for them and explained that while Cole is a demon he is also half-human and his human half is good and keeps his demon half in check," William explained. "But when they find out that Cole proposed, they could very well try to do everything in their power to break them up. Phoebe has to show them that being married to Cole is not a bad thing, that he will not turn her evil."

"Would they listen?" Chloe wondered.

"Maybe," William replied. "Right now they don't know though. But it is only a matter of time."

"I thought they don't watch everything we do down here?" Max asked.

"They don't, that is why they don't know yet," William said. "Which gives Phoebe and Cole time to decide how to proceed, if they proceed."

"If they don't know, then how do you know, dad," Chloe wondered.

"Because I watch out for you, Chloe and Max," William replied. "Remember I am Max's Whitelighter. Even though they aren't allowed to see me, I even watch out for Buffy, Dawn and Joyce."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Somewhere in town a demon shimmered into an alley in front of a witch. "Witch," he said as sht e witch screamed. He put his hand over her mouth to silence her and looked down at the necklace around her throat. "You're next." He stabbed her with an athame and she dropped to the ground.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the attic of the Manor Phoebe looked at the page of the demon that Cole had vanquished in the Book of Shadows. "Okay, so the demon that Cole and I nailed is a Scavenger demon," she said. "Apparently he feeds on the remains of other demons victims. Nice, huh?"

"Well, that explains why Max and I both scryed for him accidentally," Piper said. "Um, are you gonna tell me what happened out there?"

"There's not much to tell," Phoebe said. "Chloe spotted him as the demon jumped in behind me and Cole…"

"That's not what I mean," Piper said. "What happened between you and Cole that Chloe doesn't want to get involved with?

Phoebe sighed. "Oh, yeah, that. Um…I'm not exactly sure. He asked me to marry him."

"What? He—he did what? He did?" Piper asked shocked.

Phoebe nodded. "More or less."

"Well, what did you say?" Piper wondered.

"I didn't know what to say. I was too surprised. I mean, with all my power of premonition and I never saw that one coming," Phoebe said.

"Uh, wow," Piper said as Chloe and Max walked into the attic, "I—I don't think a witch is allowed to marry a demon. Honey, we can't have a demon in the family."

"Piper, that is the least of my concerns right now," Phoebe said with a sigh.

"Well, don't kid yourself. If you decide to go through with this, it's gonna be a source of huge concerns. Especially for them," Piper said as she pointed up.

"The good news is they don't know yet," Max said as Piper and Phoebe looked at her. "Chloe and I had a visit from William. The reason he knows about your proposal and they don't is because he watches me and Chloe, more than they do. Which gives you, Aunt Phoebe, time to figure things out. And in time prove to them like Aunt Piper proved to them she should be allowed to marry Leo, that you and Cole can be married and you not turn evil."

Phoebe smiled at her niece. "I love Cole, all three of you know I do, but demon stuff aside, I never thought of myself as the marrying type. You know, it's not something I fantasized about, ever."

"So then, what are you gonna tell him?" Piper wondered.

"I don't know," Phoebe said. "But if William is right and they don't know. I have time to figure it out."

"Well, you're gonna have figure it out soon because a question like that doesn't go away by itself," Piper said.

Phoebe sighed. "Are you sure?"

Piper nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"Hey," Cole said as he shimmered in.

"Hey," Phoebe said as she smiled at Cole.

"Max, Chloe and I will be downstairs," Piper said as she pushed both her niece and Chloe toward the attic door and followed them out.

"I couldn't find out who the demon was but at least I ruled out any usual suspects," Cole said.

"Any idea of who it could be?" Phoebe wondered.

Cole shook his head. "No, just another upper level demon trying to build a reputation by killing witches to move up the ladder. Anyway, I guess I'll keep checking," he said as he turned to leave.

"No, Cole, wait. We should talk," Phoebe said as she moved toward Cole.

"Alright."

"It's just hard," Phoebe explained.

"It's just me," Cole replied sympathetically.

"Okay, let me ask you a question," Phoebe said. "When you, you know, proposed… did you mean to? Or did it just come out in the heat of the moment?"

"Well, does that matter?" he asked wondering if it really did matter. He had asked the question and he did not intend to take it back.

"Well, yeah, it matters to me," Phoebe said.

"It just came out in the heat of the moment," Cole explained as Phoebe sighed. "But that doesn't mean that once I said it I wasn't serious because I—I—I was, I still am."

"Cole…" Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, listen to me," Cole said. "I know it was crazy to ask, and I know it doesn't make any sense because of who we are but that shouldn't matter. If it did we never would have fallen in love in the first place. I love you, Phoebe, and I don't know where we go from here but, I do know where ever it is, I want it to be with you."

Just then they heard a baby cry come from downstairs.

"Is that a baby crying?" Phoebe asked.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the living room Max looked at the mechanical baby held in Paige's arms and shook her head. She looked to Chloe who nodded in understanding.

"You told me to rent one, so I did," Paige said, explaining to Piper about the mechanical baby.

"Well, I didn't think that you could," Piper said. "Where did you get it?"

"The clinic," Paige said.

Piper frowned. "Great. Take it back."

"What's going on?" Phoebe said to Max and Chloe as they came down the stairs to stand beside them.

"Paige bought this realistic sounding mechanical baby," Chloe said, "for Piper and Leo so they could see what it was like to have a baby of their own, before actually having one. Personally I think it's a cray idea."

"Look, Paige, I appreciate the thought, but we are on a demon hunt and the last thing I want to do is protect a fake baby," Piper said.

"Oh, really?" Paige asked as she threw the mechanical baby up in the air.

Instinctively Max stopped time and the mechanical baby halted in mid-air.

"See?" Paige said. "Your instincts were to save it."

"Uh, Paige," Piper said as she looked toward Max. "I didn't do that."

"Real or not," Max said. "it doesn't deserve to be thrown in the air in the hopes you will save it with your power. If you fail to act Aunt Paige would have had to explain to the clinic why it was broken."

"Just try it, Piper," Paige said. "If it doesn't work I will take it back, I promise."

Piper sighed; she looked at Max and nodded. Max restarted time and the mechanical baby fell into her arms.

"Okay, now you just rock it gently," Phoebe said as she put her arms around Piper to help rock the mechanical baby.

"Phoebe?" Piper said. "I know how to hold a baby that is not the issue, thank you."

"Just give it a shot," Paige said as Phoebe let go of Piper. "What have you got to lost?"

"Another witch has been killed," Leo said as he orbed in.

"Oh, no," Max said.

"Yeah, the police found her body at the Canon Theatre," Leo said.

"Well, we should go there and see what we can find out," Piper said.

"We've gotta call Morris on the way," Phoebe said. "Make sure he can get us in." She looked at Cole. "And no you cannot come. Someone might recognize you from when you posed as a DA."

Cole sighed. "I don't get to go anywhere anymore."

"You were a demon and a lawyer?" Chloe said with a snort. "Hella insert joke here."

"Where'd you get it?" Leo said with a laugh as he noticed the mechanical baby.

"It's Paige's," Piper answered.

"No, it's yours," Paige explained. "You need to figure it out."

"Yeah, daddy," Piper said as she handed Leo the mechanical baby. "Figure it out. Excuse me."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Darryl led Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Max and Chloe into an alley somewhere in San Francisco. "Look, I can't guarantee much this time," he said. "Just promise me you'll stay on the fringe."

"We promise," Phoebe said.

"So what do we know?" Max wondered.

"Man called 911 from that pay phone, reported he found a body," Darryl explained. He smiled at Max as he thought of Prue and Andy. It was nice that she had come looking for her birth parents. He had even asked her to stop by one evening after his shift and he would tell her about her father.

"Looks like she wasn't the only victim," Piper said noticing a black scorch mark on a nearby wall. "Scorch mark. Definitely demonic. Looks like one of Cole's, actually."

"Don't you mean Belthazor?" Paige asked.

Max and Chloe looked at each other and shook their heads. Piper and Phoebe had told them of Paige learning that Belthazor and Cole was the same person and of Paige's reaction.

"Oh, it's too bad Cole can't check it out," Phoebe said. "He'd probably be able to tell us who did it. Is anyone from the DA office here?"

Darryl nodded as he pointed toward a man. "Yeah, that guy over there's an ADA. He's interviewing one of the victim's friends. They also found this on the victim," he said as he pulled out the necklace the witch was wearing.

"Triple crescent," Chloe said. "Wicked cool."

"Yeah, does this mean something to you?" Darryl asked Chloe.

Chloe shook her head. "Nope. Might to someone else."

"Max and I studied it in one of Piper's quizzes," Paige offered. "It's an ancient wiccan symbol, a cousin to the triquetra."

"Could be the mark of a coven," Piper suggested.

"A coven someone's trying to wipe out," Phoebe said. "We have to figure out who else is in it."

"Maybe the victim's friend," Max suggested.

"Only one way to find out," Phoebe said as she began to move toward the victim's friend.

"Aunt Phoebe," Max said, "wait a second. If she isn't a witch she should remain unfrozen right? So if I stop time?"

"I should be able to talk to her without anyone interrupting," Phoebe said in understanding.

Max nodded as she brought time to a halt. She looked at Darryl and nodded as he looked frozen. "Okay."

Phoebe walked over to the victim's friend. "I like your necklace."

The woman looked around her eyes wide. "Why? How?" she asked motioning towards everything that was frozen.

"My niece," Phoebe said waving her hand toward Max. "She can halt time. Felt it was better to talk this way so we aren't interrupted and I'm not seen inside an active crime scene. Anyways you might know of me and my sisters. The Charmed Ones. You and Carrie were in the same coven?"

The woman nodded. "Yes."

"And your mark is the triple crescent," Phoebe said as she touched the necklace and received a premonition of the demon stabbing the woman.

"What is it?" the woman asked. "Are you alright?"

"What happened?" Piper asked as she and Paige rushed over to Phoebe. "What did you see?"

"The demon," Phoebe said as she glanced toward Max and Chloe. She understood why Max hadn't rushed forward as well. She did not want to risk losing control and let time resume. "He's after her."

"Where?" Piper wondered.

"Uh... By the steps in some park," Phoebe said. "I think it was like an old amphitheatre or something."

"I know that. That's in Stanley Arboreta," the woman said. "I walk past it every day on the way to work."

"What did the demon look like?" Paige wondered.

"Like Belthazor," Phoebe said. "Not exactly like him, just similar."


	15. Chapter 14: Black as Cole Part 2

**Chapter 14: Black as Cole Part 2**

Piper, Max, Phoebe and Paige walked through Stanley Arboreta the next morning with Susan, the woman that Phoebe had talked to the day before.

"I don't understand," Susan said. "If you know the demon is meant to attack here, shouldn't we go someplace else?"

"Not if we want to get rid of him for good," Piper said.

"Power of three spell?" Max wondered.

Piper shook her head. "No, the only way to vanquish an upper level demon is with the potion of his own flesh."

"Amazeballs," Max said as she shook her head.

"Sounds like you've done this before," Paige said.

Phoebe nodded as she thought about the time they had almost vanquished Cole. "Once. On my fiancé."

"Your fiancé?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Phoebe sighed, "I just wanted to hear how it sounded."

"And?" Piper wondered.

"Kind of weird," Phoebe answered.

"Yeah," Piper agreed.

"Back up," Max said. "Did you say you once tried to vanquish Cole?"

Phoebe shook her head as she looked toward her niece. "No, Belthazor, there's a difference."

"Is there?" Paige wondered as they came to a stop.

"Okay, let's review," Phoebe said ignoring Paige's question. "I play decoy, demon attacks. Piper and/or Max freezes or brings time to a halt, Paige slices and dices until we get the demon sushi. And then we get out of there. Everybody ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Paige said as she took a knife out of her purse.

Phoebe turned and looked at Susan. "Okay, I'm gonna need your coat and your hat," she said as Susan took off her coat and hat and handed them to her. "Oh, and your necklace."

Susan nodded and she took off the necklace as well before handing it too, to Phoebe.

"Okay, we've got to get Susan some place safe," Piper said as Phoebe put on Susan's things. "Leo!" She smiled at her husband as he and Chloe orbed in. "Hi, honey, Chloe. Leo, could you orb Susan out of here."

"Sure," Leo said. "Any place in mind?"

"Hmm, I don't think home is a good idea," Max said.

"Actually, you should take her to my old loft, I don't think it's rented yet," Paige offered.

"Alright, take my hand," Leo said as Susan and Chloe both took his hands.

"Where's the baby?" Paige wondered.

Chloe smiled and turned around to show the mechanical baby strapped to her back in a carrier.

"See?" Leo said as he motioned toward Chloe. "We can make this work."

Piper sighed. "Go away and drop Robo-kid off at the manor."

"If he drops the baby off," Chloe said. "I am staying with it and pretending I am babysitting for you guys. You guys are supposed to be experiencing what it's like to actually raise and take care of a baby. If my mom had done that to Dawn or Buffy or even me she would have been hella arrested."

Piper sighed and nodded. "Alright, Chloe," she said. She looked at her husband. "Probably a good idea to take Chloe with you."

"I intended to," Leo said. "For the same reason, you don't think it would be safe for Susan at the Manor." He took Chloe and Susan's hands and orbed out with them.

Piper turned back to her sisters and her niece. "Okay, we got to do this fast because this demon won't stay frozen for long. Ready?" she asked as they all nodded. "Let's go."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Phoebe walked down the path by herself, she knew both of her sisters and her niece were in the bushes waiting.

"Hello, witch," came a voice from behind Phoebe.

"Goodbye..." Phoebe said as she spun to face the demon, "demon."

The demon ran at Phoebe with his athame. She flipped him over as Max, Piper and Paige came out of the bushes. At the same time a woman, named Emma, also came out of the bushes.

Emma threw a dagger at the demon, who shimmered out just as the dagger missed him and embedded in a tree instead. "I had him," she screamed.

"Who the hell are you?" Piper wondered.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Later back at the Manor Emma was explaining why she had been in the park. "He used this to kill my fiancé," she said holding the dagger. "It's a ceremonial knife. The demon left it behind after the struggle. I've been hunting for the last year and a half. It's all I care about."

"May I?" Cole asked as Emma looked to Piper, Phoebe and Max; all of whom nodded. She turned and handed the dagger to him.

"Look familiar?" Phoebe asked.

"He looked familiar to me," Paige said.

"I think Aunt Phoebe means the dagger." Max said.

Cole nodded as he turned the dagger over in his hands. "It's one used by the brotherhood."

"Emma, do you know why the demon wanted to kill your fiancé?" Piper asked.

"Because Andrew was a witch," Emma told them.

"Are you a witch too?" Max asked.

Emma shook her head as she looked at Max. "No," she said. "But after Andrew died, I studied his books and devoted myself to the craft."

"To continue his work?" Phoebe asked.

"To track down his killer."

"And you just happened to be in the park at the same time the demon was going to attack Susan?" Paige asked. It was a rather big coincidence after all.

"I know his MO," Emma explained. "I know when he kills a witch, he goes after the entire coven."

"You've taught yourself well," Piper said. "But still, if we hadn't come along we would have lost you both."

"Vengeance empowers me," Emma said a tad big angrily.

"But it won't save you," Cole told Emma. "Your desire for revenge is keeping you from the truth. You want the demon vanquished, my advice is to stand back and let the Charmed Ones and Max handle it."

Emma didn't like that suggestion one bit. "This is my fight," she said.

"Then you shall lose it."

"Cole's right," Phoebe said in agreement. "You should trust us. Trust that we want the same thing you do."

"It's just, his face has haunted me ever since Andrew died," Emma explained. "It's the face of pure evil. I can't let him get away."

"Why don't you scry for him again while we prepare the vanquishing potion," Piper suggested. "Once we get a piece of his flesh, he's dust."

"We'll get him. I swear we'll get him," Phoebe agreed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At Paige's old loft Leo, Susan and Chloe waited for the all clear.

"How much longer do you think I'll have to stay here?" Susan asked.

"Well, I would have to talk to your Whitelighter, but my instincts tell me that everyone in your coven should break routine until the threat is over," Leo said just as Susan's phone rang.

"Excuse me," Susan said as she answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Who is it?" Chloe wondered.

"ADA," Susan said. "Uh, I'm sorry, yes, hi." She paused as she listened to the ADA. "Uh, okay, when?" After a moment, she looked to Leo and Chloe. "He wants me to come in."

"Okay," Leo said.

"Alright, I'll be there," Susan said.

"I think this takes teamwork," Chloe said.

"What are you thinking?" Leo said.

"I know it's just me being suspicious and there is no reason to be. But didn't you all tell me and Max that before Cole changed sides he posed as an ADA," Chloe said as Leo nodded. "When we get there. I will pretend I am Susan's sister. If anyone questions about the mechanical baby I can tell them I am taking a parenting class. Anyways when we get there Susan does not go into his office alone and by pretending to be her sister…"

"You would be more likely to be let in than I would," Leo said. "Good thinking, Chloe. When we get there, I will be listening for your call, just in case."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At the Manor Emma was scrying as Max, Phoebe and Cole looked through the Book of Shadows.

"I—I feel the crystal pulling, he's still in the area," Emma said.

"Well, Aunt Phoebe and I can't find him in the book anywhere," Max said.

"Did either of you notice how he vanished? Did he smoke out, flame out?" Cole asked.

"He disappeared like you do, Cole," Max said.

"He shimmered?" Cole asked as both Max and Phoebe nodded.

"Wait, I think I found him," Emma said as the crystal dropped on a point on the map.

"Where?" Phoebe asked.

"He's at, uh, Prescott and..." Emma said.

"Pine," Phoebe finished.

"How'd you know?" Emma wondered.

"Prescott and Pine is the nearest cross street," Max said.

"Wait, he's here in the house?" Emma asked.

"Max and I'll go check upstairs," Cole said. "Phoebe, you find your sisters, get ready."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Crosstown at the ADA's office Leo, Chloe and Susan walk through the doors

"Hello?" Susan said as the ADA, Sikes, came out of his office.

"Ah, Ms. Coleman," Sikes said motioning toward Leo and Chloe. "Who's this?"

"I'm Susan's sister," Chloe said.

"And I'm a friend," Leo said. "Is it a problem?"

Sikes shook his head. "No, no, no problem at all. Um, why don't you both just wait over there and uh, I'll let you know when it's over," he said as Leo sat down.

"I'd like Chloe with me if that's alright," Susan said. "I'd feel much better if my baby sister was with me, you know for comfort."

Sikes thought about it and nodded. "Sure. Right this way." He led Susan and Chloe into the office and closed the door behind them. He shoved Chloe hard knocking her to the floor as he pushed Susan up against the door as an athame appeared in his hand.

"Leo!" Chloe said as she jumped up and grabbed Sikes. She spun him away from Susan just as Leo orbed in and grabbed hers and Susan's hands and orbed out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At the Manor Cole and Max ran down the stairs. After Max freezing time for each room they searched they had not found the demon.

"Aunt Phoebe?" Max called out as Phoebe raced into the foyer.

"He's not upstairs," Cole said.

"He's not downstairs either," Phoebe said.

"This doesn't make sense," Max said. "Why would Emma's scrying …" She looked at Cole. "It couldn't be, could it?"

"You think her scrying found me?" Cole asked.

"You are after all the only demon here," Max said.

"I won't say it isn't possible, but why would her scrying find me," Cole wondered just as Leo orbed in with Susan and Chloe.

"It's the ADA," Leo said.

"Sikes?" Phoebe asked.

"He tried to kill Susan," Chloe said.

"I don't know if he followed us here or not," Leo added just as Sikes shimmered in.

"Watch out!" Phoebe yelled as Sikes threw an energy ball at them, which missed them as they ducked out of the way. "Take her upstairs."

Leo and Chloe pushed Susan up the stairs as they followed.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Sikes said as Cole threw an energy ball at him. It missed him as he changed into his demonic form.

As Piper, Paige and Emma ran in Max brought time to a halt.

"Hurry, slice him," Piper said as Paige ran over to Sikes. She noticed a look of disgust come over her baby sister's face. "Oh, Paige, just do it. This is no time to be squeamish."

Paige sliced a piece of flesh off Sikes' arm which dropped to the floor and she promptly picked up. "Got it," she said just as time resumed at the wrong possible moment as Sikes hit her knocking her away from him as Phoebe rushed over to her baby sister.

Sikes threw an energy ball as Cole pushed Piper and Emma out of the way before changing into Belthazor. "Belthazor, we meet at last."

"But not for long," Belthazor replied as he and Sikes threw energy balls at each other. The energy balls collided and the house shook as a result.

"We'll finish this later," Sikes said as he shimmered out.

"Is everybody okay?" Piper asked as she and Emma stood up.

"I'm okay," Phoebe said. "Max?"

"I'm good, Emma?" Max said.

"He's not the demon who killed my fiancé," Emma said pointing at Belthazor. "He is." She watched as Belthazor morphed back into Cole. "He's a killer. What's the matter with you people?"

"Emma, I know you're upset but you have to understand," Piper said as she held Emma back.

"Let go of me," Emma said as she tried to break out of Piper's grasp.

"You're making a huge mistake. He's not who you think he is," Phoebe said.

"He's the demon who killed my fiancé and that is all I need to know," Emma said as she finally broke out of Piper's grasp and rushed over to the table where the dagger lay.

"Hey," Max said as Emma grabbed the dagger and threw it at Cole. She brought time to a stop walked over to the dagger and grabbed it out of midair before letting time resume.

"How can you protect a murderer? How can you live with yourselves?" Emma said with a glare at Max before she stormed out of the house.

"Is she right? Are you the one who killed him?" Paige asked.

"Honey, now's not the time, we need to worry about Sikes," Phoebe said. "We got what we need, you guys work on the vanquishing potion."

Paige grabbed the flesh and she, Max and Piper headed for the kitchen.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A few moments later Piper, Max and Paige were making the potion to vanquish Sikes.

"Okay, we just need the pig's feet, over there by the mandrake root," Piper said.

"Poor piggy, piggy. They're sensitive creatures, you know. Smart too," Paige said.

"Yeah, not that one," Piper said as Max dropped the pigs feet into the potion. "Okay, so all we need to do is drop in the Sikes flesh." She gradually stepped back away from the potion and Max and Paige. "Right, just drop it in."

Paige dropped Sikes flesh into the potion which exploded knocking both Max and Paige to the floor.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Max said as she looked up at her aunt.

"Yeah!" Piper said as she helped both Paige and Max up. "Yeah, it happened to me last year. No substitute for experience."

"You girls alright?" Cole asked as they looked toward the door and saw him standing there.

"Yeah, just doing a little family bonding, that's all," Piper said. "Where's Phoebe? The potion will be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Yeah, she wanted to talk to Emma, explain things," Cole said.

"Good luck," Paige said.

"Look, I don't need the guilt from you, okay, I've got enough of my own to deal with," Cole said.

"What, and you think that covers it?" Paige asked. "What you did?"

Piper sighed. "Paige, don't."

"Don't what, Piper?" Paige asked. "He killed a man, are you condoning that?"

"Of course, Aunt Piper is not condoning that," Max said.

"But it's just not that simple," Piper added. "He can't change the past and you've seen how much good he's helped us to do. That's who he is now and we've accepted that."

"If you say so," Paige said.

"Thank you," Cole said looking at Max and Piper. "Do you want me to help you find Sikes?"

"Can you?" Max wondered.

Cole nodded. "If he's still emulating me, all I have to do is figure out what I'd do next."

"Which would be...?" Piper asked.

"Go after the Charmed Ones," Cole said.

Paige sighed. "Oh, that's nice."

"And the best way to do that," Cole said as he looked directly at Max.

"Is to go after Max," Piper said with a sigh.

"And the best way to get to me …" Max said.

"Is Chloe," Paige, Piper and Cole said.

"It's a good thing she's with Leo," Piper said.

"But first I'd have to regroup somewhere. Tend to my cut," Cole said.

"The mausoleum?" Piper wondered.

"Except Sikes will anticipate that," Cole said. "He'll be expecting you to come after him which means he'll be probably be lying in wait. Maybe set up some kind of trap."

"One that you can identify," Piper said as Cole nodded. "So, let's go."

"Don't we need Aunt Phoebe?" Max asked.

"No, all we need is this," Piper said as she held up the vials of potion. "Besides, it's better to keep Emma away from the action. Talking about … Leo!" Leo walked into the kitchen a second later. "We're gonna go after Sikes so we should probably orb Susan and Chloe out of here just to be safe." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the kitchen followed by Max, Paige and Cole.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Max followed Piper, Paige and Cole as they walked down the stairs into a mausoleum.

"Any sign of him?" Paige wondered.

"No," Cole said.

Max watched as Cole pulled Paige back as she was about to step off the bottom step. She closed her eyes hoping beyond hope it would work. She reached out her hand and brought time to a halt. "Cole?"

Cole looked toward Max. "Halted?" he asked as she smiled.

"You selectively halted time?" Piper wondered as Max nodded. She looked to Cole. "What is it?"

"Trap. Back up," Cole said as he picked up a nearby candle and threw it on the ground as Max let time resume. The ground exploded in flames. When it disappeared he ran across the room looking for Sikes.

"Where is he?" Piper wondered.

"Home," Max said as they looked at her with confusion. "He's not after me or you guys. He's after Cole."

"How do you figure?" Paige asked.

"He looks up to Cole or rather Belthazor," Max explained. "His greeting when he saw Cole morph into his demon form said as much."

"Which means," Piper said.

"The best way to get at me," Cole said.

"Phoebe," Piper said in understanding.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

When they returned to the Manor they found Phoebe's purse on the floor of the foyer.

"Phoebe," Paige called out.

"I'll check upstairs, you check downstairs," Cole said as he headed upstairs.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the attic Sikes had Phoebe tied to a chair as they waited for Cole.

"You must be something very special, turn a demon. Something very special indeed," Sikes said as he touched her neck with an athame. "Unfortunately, though, when you made him less evil, you made him less powerful. Hmm, I wonder, are you gonna have the same effect on me after I kill him?" He looked toward the attic door just as Cole walked in. "Well, well, well. The mighty Belthazor. You don't disappoint. I knew you'd figure out what I was up to... sooner or later.

"Cole, get outta here," Phoebe said as Sikes pointed the athame at her neck. "He won't hurt me. He's bluffing."

"I can't take that chance," Cole and Sikes said simultaneously.

"Ooh, it's kinda eerie, isn't it?" Sikes said. "How I know you better than you know yourself. The student has surpassed his mentor."

Cole realized that Max had been right. Sikes did look to him or rather to Belthazor. "I was never your mentor, Sikes," he said.

"By reputation you were. By your legend. It'll be an honour to kill you," Sikes said as he tucked his athame in his belt. "And assume your rightful place in the hierarchy."

Cole looked at Phoebe, who shook her head. She already knew what he was about to say. "Remember what I told you? What I asked you to do?"

"Cole, please, don't," Phoebe begged.

Cole screamed and morphed into Belthazor at the same time that Sikes morphed into his demonic form.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Did you hear that?" Max asked as she looked at her aunts. They nodded that they had heard what sounded like a battle erupting in the attic.

They turned and ran up the stairs.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the attic Sikes tried to strangle Belthazor. "Die!" he shouted.

"Cole?" Phoebe said with worry in her voice.

Belthazor pushed Sikes up till Sikes hit the ceiling. He grabbed the athame out of Sikes' belt and then just then time came to a halt as Paige and Piper rushed to Phoebe, who noticed Max standing at the door staring at Belthazor and Sikes.

"I'm having trouble holding them," Max said through gritted teeth. "Their fighting my power."

Piper and Paige nodded as they worked fast to untie Phoebe.

Suddenly time resumed and Belthazor stabbed Sikes who burst into flames and was vanquished. He turned and looked at Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Max, who had quickly joined them when time had resumed.

"Cole?" Phoebe said as he walked towards them with the athame. "It's over. You can turn back now. Cole, you can do it. For me, for us."

"Hurry, throw the potion. maybe it'll work on him," Paige said.

Piper held up her vial of the Sikes vanquishing potion as Max grabbed her hand.

"Wait," Max said.

"Cole, please, you can do this, you're good," Phoebe pleaded.

Just then Emma ran in and threw a potion at Belthazor. Flames surrounded him and he screamed. When the flames disappeared, they found that Belthazor had morphed into Cole as he dropped to his knees.

"What happened?" Paige wondered.

"That was the power stripping potion I made to free Cole," Phoebe said as she walked over to her Boyfriend.

Piper looked at Max. "You knew?"

"I suspected," Max replied.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked as she hugged Cole. She saw Emma pick up the athame that Belthazor had dropped when the potion had hit him. "No!" She moved between Emma and Cole. "You got your revenge. You killed the demon you were after. Belthazor's dead, gone forever. Cole's a human being, an innocent."

Emma looked at Phoebe and saw in Phoebe's eyes that Phoebe was telling the truth as she handed the athame to her.


End file.
